Issue of Equity

THE THROGMORTON TRUST PLC ONE FOR FIVE BONUS ISSUE OF SUBSCRIPTION SHARE OFFER 3 September 2009 Further to the Company's announcement on 3 July 2009 that the Board was considering proposals for a bonus issue of Subscription Shares to existing Shareholders, the Board is today publishing its proposals in relation to the one for five Bonus Issue of Subscription Shares. The Bonus Issue requires the Company to adopt New Articles and to obtain authorities to increase its authorised share capital and allot the Subscription Shares. As these matters require Shareholder approval, the Bonus Issue is conditional on the passing of the Resolution to be proposed at the General Meeting of the Company to be held at 10.30am on 1 October 2009, as well as the admission of the Subscription Shares to the Official List and to trading on the London Stock Exchange. The Bonus Issue The Company is proposing to issue Subscription Shares to Qualifying Shareholders on the basis of one Subscription Share for every five Existing Ordinary Shares held on the Record Date, subject to the passing of the Resolution set out in the Notice of General Meeting and Admission. The Subscription Shares will be issued by way of a bonus issue to Qualifying Shareholders. Each Subscription Share will confer the right, exercisable by notice to the Company which may be given quarterly on each of 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October between 31 January 2010 and 31 October 2011 (both dates inclusive), to convert, on the relevant date, into one Ordinary Share of the Company, after which the Subscription Share Rights will lapse. The Ordinary Shares arising on conversion will be allotted within ten Business Days of the relevant exercise date. The Subscription Price will be equal to the published unaudited NAV (including current year revenue) per Ordinary Share as at 5.00 p.m. on 30 September 2009, plus a 1 per cent. premium to such amount, rounded up to the nearest whole penny. Qualifying Shareholders' entitlements will be assessed against the register of members on the Record Date, which is expected to be close of business on 30 September 2009. Subscription Shares will rank equally with each other and will not carry the right to receive any dividends from the Company or the right to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company. The NAV for the purpose of calculating the Subscription Price will be the unaudited value of the Company's assets calculated in accordance with the Company's accounting policies (including revenue items for the current financial year) less all prior charges and other creditors at their fair value (including the costs of the Bonus Issue). Prior charges include all loans and overdrafts that are to be used for investment purposes. The New Articles provide that the Subscription Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain corporate events by or affecting the Company before 31 October 2011. The relevant corporate events include consolidations or sub-divisions of share capital, pre-emptive offers of securities to Ordinary Shareholders, takeover offers and the liquidation of the Company. Such adjustments serve to protect either the intrinsic value or the time value of the Subscription Shares, or both. The 1 per cent. premium and the resulting Subscription Price reflect the Board's confidence in the Company's medium to long term prospects and its hope that holders of Subscription Shares will be able to exercise their Subscription Share Rights and acquire Ordinary Shares on favourable terms in the future. It is expected that an announcement setting out the Subscription Price will be made on 1 October 2009. The Directors believe the Bonus Issue of Subscription Shares will have the following advantages: • Qualifying Shareholders will receive securities which they may convert into Ordinary Shares at a predetermined price in order to benefit from any future growth in the Company; • Qualifying Shareholders will receive securities with a monetary value which may be traded in a similar fashion to their existing Ordinary Shares or converted into Ordinary Shares; • on any exercise of the Subscription Share Rights, the capital base of the Company will increase allowing operating costs to be spread across a larger number of Ordinary Shares and hence should cause the total expense ratio to fall; • it represents an opportunity for Shareholders to participate in any future net asset growth of the Company through subscribing for Ordinary Shares; • it potentially increases the size of the Company; • following the exercise of any Subscription Share Rights, the Company will have an increased number of Ordinary Shares in issue, which may in due course improve the liquidity in the market for its Ordinary Shares; and • Qualifying Shareholders will receive securities which are qualifying investments for the purposes of the stocks and shares component of an ISA and permitted investments for the purposes of a SIPP. The implementation of the Bonus Issue will require Shareholders to approve the Resolution, which will be proposed at the General Meeting as a special resolution. If passed, the Resolution will: a. approve the adoption of New Articles containing the rights attaching to the Subscription Shares; b. authorise the Directors to allot the Subscription Shares pursuant to the Bonus Issue; c. authorise the capitalisation of sums standing to the credit of the Company's share premium account, capital redemption reserve, other reserve and any other applicable reserves (excluding the profit and loss account) in paying up the Subscription Shares to be issued pursuant to the Bonus Issue; d. authorise the consolidation, sub-division or redemption of any share capital in connection with the exercise of the Subscription Share Rights so as to enable conversion of the Subscription Shares into Ordinary Shares in accordance with the Subscription Share Rights; and e. authorise the repurchase by the Company of Subscription Shares representing up to 14.99 per cent. of the Company's issued Subscription Share capital following Admission (subject to certain conditions), as more fully described below. Authority to repurchase Subscription Shares In order to allow the Company to repurchase Subscription Shares, the Resolution will grant the Company authority to buy back up to 14.99 per cent. of the issued Subscription Share capital following Admission. Repurchases of Subscription Shares will be made at the discretion of the Board, and will only be made when market conditions are considered by the Board to be appropriate and in compliance with the provisions of the Listing Rules prohibiting the purchase by a company of its own securities during certain periods. Purchases through the market will not exceed the higher of (i) 5 per cent. above the average of the middle market quotations (as derived from the Official List) for the 5 consecutive dealing days ending on the dealing day immediately preceding the date on which the purchase is made and (ii) the higher of the price quoted for (a) the last independent trade of, or (b) the highest current independent bid for, any number of Subscription Shares on the trading venue where the purchase is carried out. Any Subscription Shares repurchased by the Company shall be cancelled and shall not be held in treasury for re-issue or resale. It is anticipated that authorisation for repurchases of Subscription Shares will be sought at the Company's annual general meetings in 2010 and beyond. Admission and dealings The Subscription Shares will be in registered form and may be issued either in certificated or uncertificated form. No temporary documents of title will be issued. Pending despatch of definitive certificates, transfers of Subscription Shares in certificated form will be certified against the Register. All documents or remittances sent by or to Shareholders will be sent through the post at the risk of the Shareholder. Applications will be made to the UK Listing Authority for the Subscription Shares to be admitted to the Official List and to the London Stock Exchange for such shares to be admitted to trading on its market for listed securities. It is expected that Admission will occur, and that dealings will commence, on 2 October 2009. On Admission, the Subscription Shares will confer rights to subscribe for new Ordinary Shares representing, in aggregate, up to 20 per cent. of the then issued ordinary share capital of the Company. The Ordinary Shares resulting from the exercise of the Subscription Share Rights will rank pari passu with the Ordinary Shares then in issue (save for any dividends or other distributions declared, made or paid on the Ordinary Shares by reference to a record date prior to the allotment of the relevant Ordinary Shares). General Meeting The Bonus Issue is conditional on, in addition to Admission, the approval by Shareholders of the Resolution to be proposed at a General Meeting of the Company which has been convened for 1 October 2009. The Resolution will be proposed as a special resolution. The Board is recommending that Shareholders vote in favour of the Resolution. A copy of the notice of general meeting to consider the proposals for a bonus issue of Subscription Shares and the adoption of new Articles and the prospectus in relation to the bonus issue of Subscription Shares will shortly be available for inspection at the UK Listing Authority's Document Viewing Facility, which is situated at: Financial Services Authority 25 The North Colonnade Canary Wharf London E14 5HS Tel. No: +44 (0)20 7066 1000 Expected timetable: Subscription Price of Subscription Shares calculated Close of business on 30 September Record date for the Bonus Issue Close of business on 30 September General meeting to approve the Bonus Issue 10.30am on 1 October Announcement of the Subscription Price 1 October Admission of the Subscription Shares To the Official List and dealings in Subscription Shares commence 8:00am on 2 October Enquiries: Jonathan Ruck Keene BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited Telephone: 020 7743 3000 Joe Winkley/Sapna Shah Oriel Securities Limited Telephone: 020 7710 7600
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