Statement re Debenture Stock Tender Offers and ...

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ANY PERSON RESIDENT AND/OR LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES OR ITALY (SEE OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS BELOW) This announcement is made in connection with the Offer and the Proposal (both as defined in The Throgmorton Trust PLC Debenture Stock Tender Offer Memorandum dated Thursday, 31 July 2008 and the T.T. Finance PLC Guaranteed Debenture Stock Tender Offer Memorandum dated Thursday, 31 July 2008 (the "Tender Offer Memoranda")). The Throgmorton Trust PLC ("Throgmorton") has today announced an offer to repurchase for cash any and all of its £19,118,645 12 5/16 per cent. Debenture Stock 2010 of which £17,168,645 is outstanding (ISIN: GB0008908690) (the "Throgmorton Stock"). T.T. Finance PLC ("T.T. Finance"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Throgmorton, has also today announced an offer to repurchase for cash any and all of its outstanding £15,000,000 11 5/16 per cent. Guaranteed Debenture Stock 2018 (ISIN: GB0008699992) (the "T.T. Finance Stock") (together the "Stocks") (subject to offer restrictions - see below and as more fully described in each respective tender offer memorandum prepared by Throgmorton and T.T. Finance separately). The Stocks represent expensive debt for Throgmorton and T.T. Finance (together the "Companies") and, as Throgmorton's issued share capital has decreased as a result of share buybacks, and is expected to decrease further as a result of the proposed tender offer by Throgmorton to purchase up to 40 per cent. of its issued shares and subsequent semi-annual tender offers and/or share buybacks, the Stocks constitute greater, and thus relatively more expensive, gearing for each of the Companies. Accordingly, the Boards of the Companies have determined that it would be in the interests of both companies to repay the Stocks in whole or in part. The separate repurchase prices payable for each of the Stocks is expected to be determined at or around 9.00 a.m., London time, (the "Pricing Time") on Wednesday, 27 August 2008 (the "Pricing Date") in the manner described in each of the Tender Offer Memoranda. The relevant repurchase price will be the lesser of (i) the relevant Daily Official List Price minus Accrued Interest or (ii) a price determined by the Dealer Manager at or around 09:00 a.m., London time, on the Pricing Date in accordance with market convention (excluding accrued interest) and is intended to reflect a yield to maturity of the stock on the Settlement Date based on the sum of (a) the relevant mid-market benchmark security rate and (b) +60 bps for the Throgmorton Stock and +50 bps for the T.T. Finance Stock. The Companies will also pay accrued interest. Each stockholder who validly tenders its stock by 12.00 noon, London time, on Tuesday, 19 August 2008 (the "Early Tender Deadline") will receive a further cash payment in addition to the relevant repurchase price and accrued interest, and as additional consideration for its tender of the relevant stock accepted for repurchase by each of the Companies separately pursuant to the relevant offer. Stockholders will receive the difference between the amount payable for the relevant stock at the relevant repurchase price and that which would be payable for such stock at an effective repurchase price determined in accordance with market convention (excluding accrued interest) and the terms of the offers by reference to the sum of an effective repurchase spread of +50 bps for the Throgmorton Stock and an effective repurchase spread of +40 bps for the T.T. Finance Stock, and the relevant mid-market benchmark security rate. Each offer begins today and expires at 12.00 noon, London time, on Friday, 22 August 2008 (the "Expiration Deadline"), unless the periods for the offers are extended or re-opened or the offers are terminated. In order to be eligible to receive the relevant repurchase price, stockholders must validly tender their stock before the Expiration Deadline, by delivering, or arranging to have delivered on their behalf, a valid Tender Instruction that is received by the Registrar by the Expiration Deadline. The Companies will also separately be inviting all stockholders to approve a proposal to amend the terms and conditions of each of the Stocks to provide the Companies the option to redeem each of the Stocks early on the terms and subject to the conditions contained in each of the Tender Offer Memoranda. Each proposal will be considered at a meeting of the relevant stockholders to be held at the offices of BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, 33 King William Street, London, EC4R 9AS on Tuesday, 26 August 2008 at 10.00 a.m., London time, in the case of the Throgmorton Stock, and 10.15 a.m., London time, in the case of the T.T. Finance Stock. Notice of each meeting will be posted today to each of the relevant stockholders at such stockholder's registered address in the United Kingdom or such other address supplied by such stockholder to each of the Companies for the giving or serving of notice. At separate meetings, stockholders will be invited to consider and, if thought fit, pass an extraordinary resolution in respect of the relevant stock, as set out in the notice. The extraordinary resolution provides for the terms and conditions of the relevant stock to be amended by the insertion of a new provision by which Throgmorton or T.T. Finance may separately redeem all (and not some only) of the relevant stock outstanding at any time, upon giving not less than one and not more than 21 Business Days' notice. The early redemption amount at which the relevant stock will be redeemed on such early redemption together with accrued interest will be determined in a similar manner to that described in the Tender Offer Memoranda for the determination of the amounts payable for the repurchase of the relevant stock at the repurchase price pursuant to the offer which is the lesser of (i) the relevant Daily Official List Price minus Accrued Interest or (ii) a price determined by the Dealer Manager at or around 09:00 a.m., London time, on the Pricing Date in accordance with market convention (excluding accrued interest) and the terms of the offers by reference to the sum of (a) the relevant mid-market benchmark security rate and (b) +60 bps for the Throgmorton Stock and +50 bps for the T.T. Finance Stock. Stockholders should refer to the relevant draft supplemental trust deeds for full details of the manner in which the early redemption amount will be determined. Stockholders who are ineligible for the relevant offer or who do not wish to tender stock in the offer may also be eligible to receive an identical amount to those holders tendering by the Early Tender Deadline, which will be paid in the circumstances described in the relevant Tender Offer Memorandum subject to the relevant extraordinary resolution being passed, by delivering, or arranging to have delivered on their behalf, a valid Voting Only Instruction that is received by the Registrar by the Early Tender Deadline (and not revoked). If the relevant extraordinary resolution is passed at the first meeting and Throgmorton or T.T. Finance, in its sole discretion, chooses to exercise the separate issuer calls immediately, the amounts payable by Throgmorton or T.T. Finance for the relevant stock redeemed pursuant to the issuer call will be the same as the amounts payable by Throgmorton or T.T. Finance for equal nominal amounts of the relevant stock repurchased at the repurchase price pursuant to the relevant offer (including in each case the amounts payable in respect of accrued interest). The settlement date for each offer is expected to be Wednesday, 3 September 2008. If the relevant extraordinary resolution is passed at the first meeting and Throgmorton or T.T. Finance, in its sole discretion, chooses to exercise the relevant issuer call immediately, this will also be the date on which the Companies redeem all of the outstanding Stock that has not been repurchased by it pursuant to the offer. The relevant offers and the separate proposals are being made on the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the relevant Tender Offer Memoranda. Under the offers and the separate proposals, all Tender Instructions and Voting Only Instructions delivered by the Early Tender Deadline will be irrevocable except in certain limited circumstances. By tendering the relevant stock in the offer, stockholders will appoint the Chairman of the meeting as their proxy to vote in favour of the extraordinary resolution at the meeting. Subject to applicable law and as provided in the separate Tender Offer Memoranda, the Companies may, in their sole discretion, extend, re-open, amend, waive any condition of or terminate the offers or the separate proposals, as applicable, at any time. Eligible stockholders are advised to read the relevant Tender Offer Memoranda carefully for full details of and information on the procedures for participating in the offer. Stockholders should contact the following for further information: The Dealer Manager: UBS Investment Bank at 1 Finsbury Avenue, London EC2M 2PP, Attention: Liability Management Group, Tel: +44 20 7567 7480. The Registrar: Capita Registrars, The Registry at 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU, Tel: 0871 664 0321. A copy of the Tender Offer Memorandum is available for inspection at the Document Viewing Facility of the Financial Services Authority, 25 The North Colonnade, London E14 5HS. DISCLAIMER This announcement must be read in conjunction with the relevant Tender Offer Memorandum. This announcement and the relevant Tender Offer Memorandum contain important information which should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offer and/or the Proposal. If you are in any doubt as to the action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own financial advice, including as to any tax consequences, from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent financial adviser. Any individual or company whose relevant stock is held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee must contact such entity if it wishes to tender the relevant stock in the Offer or participate in the Proposal. None of the Company, UBS Limited or Alliance Assurance Trust Company Limited makes any recommendation whether stockholders should tender the relevant stock in the Offer or participate in the Proposal. OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS The distribution of this announcement and the Tender Offer Memoranda in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this announcement and/or the Tender Offer Memoranda comes are required by the Company and the Dealer Manager to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions. Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memoranda constitutes an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell the relevant stock, and tenders of the relevant stock in the Offer will not be accepted from stockholders in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and the Dealer Manager is such a licensed broker or dealer in such jurisdictions, the Offer shall be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Dealer Manager. United States The Offer is not being made and will not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by use of the mails of, or by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, facsimile transmission, telex, telephone, email and other forms of electronic transmission) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or any facility of a national securities exchange of, the United States, and the relevant stock may not be tendered in the Offer by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility from or within the United States or by persons located or resident in the United States. Accordingly, copies of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memoranda and any other documents or materials relating to the Offer are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise transmitted, distributed or forwarded in or into the United States or to persons located or resident in the United States. Any purported tender of the relevant stock in the Offer resulting directly or indirectly from a violation of these restrictions will be invalid and tenders of Stock made by a person located in the United States or any agent, fiduciary or other intermediary acting on a non-discretionary basis for a principal giving instructions from within the United States will not be accepted. For the purposes of this paragraph, United States means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any state of the United States of America and the District of Columbia. Italy The Offer is not being made in the Republic of Italy (Italy). The Offer, this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum have not been submitted to the clearance procedure of the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) pursuant to Italian laws and regulations. Accordingly, stockholders are notified that, to the extent stockholders are resident and/or located in Italy, the Offer is not available to them and they may not tender the relevant stock in the Offer and, as such, any Tender Instructions received from such persons shall be ineffective and void, and none of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memoranda or any other documents or materials relating to the Offer or the relevant stock may be distributed or made available in Italy. The Offer is not being made and this announcement and the Tender Offer Memoranda are not being distributed to the public in the United Kingdom, France or Belgium. In such jurisdictions, only the following persons may participate in the Offer and receive this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum (as more fully set out in the Tender Offer Memoranda): United Kingdom (investment professionals and persons within Article 43(2) or otherwise of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005) / France (certain qualified investors and providers of portfolio management investment services) / Belgium (institutional investors).
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