Review of interim results, January-September 1999

MeritaNordbanken Group Review of interim results, January-September 1999 Strong result, ROE 20 per cent, expenses decline; Growth in network banking services, mutual funds and insurance products * Operating profit for January-September up at EUR 1,051 million (SEK 9.3bn); * Adjusted for items affecting comparability, operating profit rose by 4% to EUR 937 million (SEK 8.3bn); * Return on equity for January-September 20.0% (excluding items affecting comparability 18.0%); * Earnings per share for January-September EUR 0.36 in Merita Plc, SEK 3.23 in Nordbanken Holding; * The Board of Christiania Bank supports MeritaNordbanken's NOK 24.3bn cash offer; * Proposal for the merger of Nordbanken Holding AB and Merita Plc to simplify group structure and to facilitate creation of a "one share - one bank group"; * Third-quarter operating profit EUR 282 million against EUR 280 million in the preceding quarter; * Expenses down 5% in the third quarter; * Mutual funds and insurance products advanced strongly on the markets; * 850,000 Internet banking customers in October; WAP banking services available in Finland; launch of Solo Mall for e-commerce in Sweden. MeritaNordbanken, the leading bank group in the Nordic region, provides a broad spectrum of financial products and services to more than 6.5 million private individuals and 400,000 companies and institutions. The Group's service network comprises some 800 branch offices in Finland and Sweden, over 1,000 Swedish post offices and a wide range of effective telephone and Internet banking facilities. More than a million customers use the Group's electronic banking services. Household savings under management total almost EUR 45 billion. Outside the Nordic region, the Group has a presence in 19 countries. The two holding companies, Merita Plc and Nordbanken Holding AB (publ), are listed in Helsinki and Stockholm, respectively. Corporate Communications Helsinki tel + 358 9 165 42656 Investor RelationsStockholm tel + 46 8 614 7850 Stockholm tel + 46 8 614 8627 Helsinki tel +358 9 165 43041 www.meritanordbanken.com www.merita.fi www.nb.se Results for the nine months from January to September 1999 (The figures in brackets refer to the corresponding period in 1998) The Group's operating profit for the first nine months of the year was EUR 1,051 million (EUR 1,046m). Income totalled EUR 2,237 million (EUR 2,474m), while expenses fell to EUR 1,233 million (EUR 1,353m). Loan losses remained low at EUR 20 million (EUR 101m). The return on equity for the nine months under review was 20.0 per cent (21.0 per cent) Earnings per share amounted to EUR 0.36 (EUR 0.38) in Merita Plc and SEK 3.23 (SEK 3.32) in Nordbanken Holding AB. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/26/19991026BIT00300/bit0001.doc The full report http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/26/19991026BIT00300/bit0002.pdf The full report