Abraham, Fruchter & Twersky, LLP Announces Filing of Class Action Lawsuit Against Barclays Bank PLC

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 12, 2009) - The law firm of Abraham, Fruchter & Twersky, LLP announces that a lawsuit seeking class action status has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of those who purchased the American Depositary Shares, Series 4 ("Preferred Stock") (NYSE: BCS-C) of Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays Bank" or the "Company") pursuant and/or traceable to a false and misleading registration statement and prospectus (the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with the Company's December 3, 2007 offering of the Company's Preferred Stock (the "Offering").

The Complaint charges that Barclays Bank and certain of its officers and directors ("Barclays") and underwriters violated federal securities laws. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that the Registration Statement for the Offering was false and misleading because it omitted the following facts: (i) Barclays' portfolio of mortgage-related securities was impaired to a much larger extent than had been disclosed; (ii) defendants failed to properly record losses for impaired assets; (iii) Barclays' internal controls were inadequate to prevent the Company from improperly reporting its mortgage-related investments; and (iv) Barclays was not as well capitalized as represented and would have to continually raise additional capital.

If you are a member of the class, you may, no later than sixty days after the date of this notice, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff of the class. A lead plaintiff is a class member that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Although your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision whether or not to seek appointment as a lead plaintiff, lead plaintiffs make important decisions which could affect the overall recovery for class members.

If you would like to discuss this action or if you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights as a potential class member or lead plaintiff, you may contact: Jeffrey S. Abraham or Philip T. Taylor of Abraham, Fruchter & Twersky, LLP at 212-279-5050, or via e-mail at jabraham@aftlaw.com or ptaylor@aftlaw.com, respectively.

Contact Information: Contact: Jeffrey S. Abraham, Esq. Philip T. Taylor, Esq. Abraham, Fruchter & Twersky, LLP One Penn Plaza, Suite 2805 New York, NY 10119 Tel: (212) 279-5050