Simultaneous mandatory offer and compulsory acquisition of Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse ASA shares by Nordea Companie

Simultaneous mandatory offer and compulsory acquisition of Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse ASA shares by Nordea Companies Finland (NCF) Plc (formerly known as MeritaNordbanken Plc) The mandatory offer period will start on 10 January 2001 and last until 7 February 2001. Settlement for the tendered shares in the mandatory offer is expected to take place within 5 business days after the expiry of the Offer Period. Nordea Companies Finland (NCF) Plc will offer NOK 49 per share in Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse ASA ("CBK"). Simultaneous with the mandatory offer, Nordea Companies Finland (NCF) Plc will exercise its right, according to the Norwegian Public Limited Company`s Act 1997, section 4-25, to acquire all outstanding shares in CBK through a compulsory acquisition (´tvungen overføring´). The compulsory acquisition will take effect on the first day of the offer period in the mandatory offer on 10 January 2001. As a result of the compulsory acquisition, Nordea Companies Finland (NCF) Plc will take title to and ownership of all the outstanding shares of CBK, and the current shareholders will consequently lose their rights to and title to the shares. The shareholders will be offered a redemption price per share equaling the price in the mandatory offer. Nordea Companies Finland (NCF) Plc will arrange for the total redemption amount to be paid to a separate account in CBK according to the Norwegian Public Limited Act § 4-25, no. 5. The compulsory acquisition will be announced in the Norwegian Official Gazette (´Norsk Lysningsblad´) in early January 2001. The final date for objections relating to the compulsory acquisition expires 2 months after the announcement. Settlement in the compulsory offer (not including acceptances in the mandatory offer) will take place as soon as possible after expiry of the 2 month- period. The shares in CBK will be blocked for trading in the VPS with effect as of 10 January 2001 and thereafter transferred to Nordea Companies Finland (NCF) Plc's VPS account. Consequently, it will not be possible to trade in the CBK shares during the mandatory offer period. The shareholders in CBK will receive a combined offer document incorporating the mandatory offer and the notification of compulsory acquisition, in which the above process will be explained in detail. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/05/20010105BIT00060/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/05/20010105BIT00060/bit0002.pdf