Swedbank denies reports of Robur divestiture

Swedbank denies reports of Robur divestiture Today's issue of the Swedish daily newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet reports that Swedbank will have to divest itself of its investment-fund entity Robur for the EU Commission to approve the bank's merger with SEB. The newspaper cites "sources in Brussels" for its story - although it does not identify those sources. The allegation is denied by Swedbank's CEO Birgitta Johansson-Hedberg: "It's not true. There have been no discussions of Swedbank's divesting itself of Robur. The EU's more in-depth, phase-two scrutiny of the matter has just begun. We have submitted very comprehensive material, which the Commission is now analysing." For further information: Jesper Berggren, Public Information Manager, Swedbank: phone: +46 8 5859 2478 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/17/20010817BIT00600/bit0002.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/17/20010817BIT00600/bit0002.pdf