Swedbank's First Securities receives top ranking in Norway

Press Release 21 January, 2011

Swedbank's First Securities receives top ranking in Norway

First Securities, which is a part of the business area Large Corporates &
Institutions, receives the top six positions in Norwegian financial magazine
Kapital's ranking of analyst firms and equity brokers in Norway. The annual
ranking is based upon a survey among Norway's largest institutional and private
investors.


First Securities wins the following categories. The numbers within brackets
represent last year's ranking.

•	Best macro analyst: Harald Magnus Andreassen (1) 
•	Best strategy analyst: Peter Hermanrud (1) 
•	Best credit analyst: Pål Ringholm (1) 
•	Best industrial and commodity analyst: Hans Erik Jacobsen (2) 
•	Best equity broker: Paal Myhr Vang, 2nd place: Runar Meland, First Securities
•	Best trading desk: First Securities 

Furthermore, Peter Hermanrud and Pål Ringholm are ranked as number two and three
in the category “Best overall analyst” and Peter Hermanrud is ranked as number
three in the category “Consumer, Shipping, Media and Biotechnology”

“This is the result of hard and persistent work among our employees in Norway.
First Securitites has always been characterized by unique competence. This, in
combination with our business driven advisory culture and Swedbank's strong
balance sheet, will add to a strong Nordic analysis service when Swedbank now
builds an investment banking operation. These components are imperative when
competing for the largest clients and the most complex transactions”, said
Jörgen Pleym Ulvness, Head of Investment Banking, Swedbank. 

“First Securities ranking in Kapital's survey does not come as a surprise for
us. This confirms that Swedbank, through the acquisition of First Securities,
has gained a winning team with a broad competence which will be beneficial for
Swedbank's clients when First Securities is integrated in the bank. This
strengthens our ambition to become a leading Nordic and Baltic analysis
provider, said Stefan Carlsson”, Head of Large Corporates & Institutions,
Swedbank.

“We will continue the development of a Nordic/Baltic research department with
the clear ambition of being regarded as a top three provider of analysis
services for our prioritized clients. Further, we want to draw upon the
successful advisory process in our Norwegian organization and implement it in
the rest of the organization. Advisory based on top class research will be the
corner stone of our client offering. A good research product is also important
in order to be attractive for international clients and to gain assignments
within corporate finance and it is foremost within these areas that we want to
grow going forward”, said Sindre Støer, Head of Research, Swedbank.

Sindre Støer has been ranked as one of the top analysts in Norway and was
previously 
Head of the research department within First Securities.


Further information:
Stefan Carlsson, Head of Large Corporates & Institutions, Swedbank, phone: +46
738 000 842
Sindre Støer, Head of Research, Swedbank, phone: +47 916 303 83 
Tor Arne Olsen, Head of Communication, First Securities, phone: +47 900 904 70 
Anna Sundblad, Press Manager, Swedbank, phone: +46 703 213 995

Swedbank promotes a sound and sustainable financial situation for the many
people, households and companies. Our vision is to contribute to a development
“Beyond Financial Growth”. As a leading bank in the home markets Sweden,
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Swedbank offers a wide range of financial
services and products. Swedbank has 9.5 million retail customers and about
670,000 corporate customers with more than 350 branches in Sweden and over 200
branches in the Baltic countries. The group is also present in other Nordic
countries, the U.S., China, Russia and Ukraine. As of September 30 2010 the
group had total assets of SEK 1,846 billion. Read more at www.swedbank.com