Close Brothers Seydler AG expands capital markets team

 Dr. Sven Janssen assumes overall capital markets responsibility  Bank sees continued favourable market outlook for Mittelstand companies  Insurance sector remains large source of potential investment in these small- to mid-sized German companies

Frankfurt, 26 January 2012 – Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG has announced the expansion of its capital markets team. With immediate effect, Dr. Sven Janssen has been named to the newly created position of team head, supported by Tho- mas Kaufmann (Head of Debt Capital Markets) and Dr. Dietmar Schieber (Head of Equity Capital Markets). Dr. Janssen brings a long and successful career in capital market financings and company valuations, along with extensive knowledge of the insurance sector. He joins Close Brothers Seydler from Australian financial service group Macquarie, where he worked in the equities division. His previous financial experience includes positions at Sal. Oppenheim, Metzler Bank () and Hawkpoint Partners (London).

René Parmantier, CEO of Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG, explained the changes: “For years we have been expanding our capital markets team, and we will continue on this path. We are extremely pleased to have acquired Dr Janssen, who is not only a proven capital markets expert but also understands the insurance industry. We continue to see a very large opportunity in insurance companies as potential investors in the Mittelstand , ’s large base of small- to medium- sized companies. Because of the issues which Basel III presents for traditional bank lending, strong Mittelstand compa- nies will increasingly turn to the capital markets to meet their financing.

Capital markets for the German Mittelstand

Close Brothers Seydler Bank has played a significant role in the development of the market for Mittelstand bonds (bonds issued by small- to mid-sized German companies), where it has firmly established itself as market leader. On the equity side, the bank has also successfully executed a number of capital increase transactions for exchange-listed clients, de- spite the difficult market environment. The total amount of debt and equity capital raised by Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG during 2011 was approx. €750 million.

For 2012, Close Brothers Seydler sees a continued positive outlook for many German Mittelstand companies, in terms of both turnover and profit. The financing environment, however, is likely to become even tougher as more stringent bank capital requirements and rising bank funding costs exert upward pressure on loan pricing and availability. In the view of Close Brothers Seydler Bank, the tightening credit markets provide an attractive window of opportunity for insurance com- panies and other institutional investors to profit from these smaller but highly successful German companies.

Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG - Your Partner for Mittelstand Companies

Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG is focused on mid-sized companies and has been part of the London Exchange listed Close Brothers Group plc since 2005. Among its core business areas are Capital Markets, Designated Sponsoring, Insti- tutional Sales, Research, Fixed Income and Equity trading, Xetra Bonds and Floor Specialist Trading on the in over 2,300 domestic and international equity and fixed income securities. The Bank is currently market leader in Designated Sponsoring with more than 200 mandates at last count. Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG is consid- ered a sales & trading expert in small- and mid capitalization stocks.

The Equity & Debt Capital Markets team at Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG assists company management with the planning, structuring and placement of capital market transactions. This includes the structuring and execution of initial public offerings (IPOs), capital increases and place-ment of equity block trades. In the fixed income area, the team pro- vides expert services in the structuring, co-ordination and placement of convertibles and corporate bonds.

Close Brothers Seydler Research AG, a subsidiary of the Bank, has a reputation for being one of the most prominent ana- lyst houses for mid-sized German companies. The experienced research analyst team maintains a three-digit number of companies under coverage and is considered by the investment community in Germany and abroad as well as the finan- cial media to be one of the most demanded and competent market and sector experts.

Awards:

 First place in the Thomson Reuters Starmine Ranking 2011 for best recommendations in TecDAX and SDAX.  First place Going Public League Table October 2011 for placement of Mittelstands bonds in both volume and number of transactions.  First place in the Dealogic German Equity Capital Markets (ECM) Bookrunner Ranking 2010 covering equity is- suances in the German market of up to USD 100 million in value.

For more information on Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG please refer to: http://www.cbseydler.com

Email: [email protected]