Fortis se réjouit de l'approbation de la Commission européenne

 

Les mesures imposées par la Commission consistent en une série de cessions à réaliser après l'acquisition. Elles concernent certaines activités de la Business Unit Netherlands d'ABN AMRO (les "cessions").

 

Ces cessions portent essentiellement sur la proposition de vente de la Hollandsche Bank Unie N.V. (une banque commerciale indépendante, détenant sa propre licence bancaire), de 13 agences de conseil, de deux départements « Corporate Client », ainsi que de la société néerlandaise d'affacturage IFN Finance B.V.

 

Ces cessions représentent environ 10% de la partie de la Business Unit Netherlands que Fortis se propose d'acquérir, tant en termes d'actifs, que de revenus et de synergies de revenus et de coûts estimés initialement. L'estimation des coûts de restructuration correspondants reste cependant inchangée par rapport à ce qui a été communiqué le 29 mai dernier. Les mesures imposées n'auront aucun impact significatif sur les plans d'intégration de Fortis et d'ABN AMRO.

 

La majeure partie du texte du compte rendu de la Commission européenne sera disponible sous peu sur le site internet de la Commission.

 

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This announcement is made pursuant to article 9b(1) of the Dutch Decree on the Supervision of the Securities Trade 1995.

In connection with the offer for ABN AMRO, RBS has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a Registration Statement on Form F-4, which includes the U.S. offer document, and the Banks have filed with the SEC a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO and other relevant materials. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ ANY DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE OFFER BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors may obtain a copy of such documents without charge, at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of all documents filed in connection with the offer may also be obtained from each Bank, without charge.

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom.

This announcement includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on the current expectations of the Banks and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in certain circumstances.  Forward-looking statements include any synergy statements and, without limitation, other statements typically containing words such as "intends", "expects", "anticipates", "targets", "plans", "estimates" and words of similar import.  By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  These factors include, but are not limited to, the presence of a competitive offer for ABN AMRO, whether the Banks and ABN AMRO enter into any definitive agreement with respect to the potential acquisition of ABN AMRO, satisfaction of any conditions to the offer, including the receipt of required regulatory and anti-trust approvals, the successful completion of the offer or any subsequent compulsory acquisition procedure, the anticipated benefits of the offer (including anticipated synergies) not being realized, the separation and integration of ABN AMRO and its assets among the Banks being materially delayed or more costly or difficult than expected, as well as additional factors, such as changes in economic conditions, changes in the regulatory environment, fluctuations in interest and exchange rates, the outcome of litigation and government actions. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.  None of the Banks undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.

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Prestataire international de services financiers spécialisé dans les domaines de la banque et de l'assurance, Fortis s'adresse à une vaste clientèle de particuliers, d'entreprises et d'institutionnels. Il leur propose une gamme complète de produits et de services par le biais de ses propres canaux ou en collaboration avec des intermédiaires et des partenaires de distribution. Avec une capitalisation boursière d'EUR 35,1 milliards (31/08/2007), Fortis figure parmi les 20 plus importantes institutions financières européennes. Sa forte solvabilité et sa présence dans 50 pays constituent des atouts qui, conjugués à l'enthousiasme et au professionnalisme de ses 60.000 collaborateurs, lui permettent d'associer la puissance à la flexibilité tant sur le plan mondial que local, et ce, avec l'objectif fondamental de mieux servir ses clients. Pour plus d'informations, veuillez consulter www.fortis.com