Joint Statement re ABN AMRO

Banco Santander S.A. 25 September 2007 24 September 2007 - Publication of Amendment to F-4 Fortis, RBS and Santander (collectively, the 'Banks') have today publicly filed an amendment to the Form F-4 with the SEC. The Form F-4 was first filed on 20 July 2007 in connection with the Banks' offer for ABN AMRO. The amendments to the Form F-4 include the provision of further detail on developments that have been announced by the Banks in recent weeks, such as amendments in connection with the Dutch Minister of Finance's consent and the status of the financing of the offer. The amendments also include an update of regulatory approvals. Copies of the offer documents and of documents incorporated by reference in the offer documents may be obtained free of charge, subject to the same restrictions as apply to the offers, by contacting the Dutch exchange agent or the global information agent at the addresses and telephone numbers below. The Dutch exchange agent: The global information agent: Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. D.F. King & Co., Inc. Rokin 55 2 London Wall Buildings, 2nd Floor 1012 KK Amsterdam London Wall, London EC2M 5PP The Netherlands United Kingdom Tel: +31 20 527 24 67 European Toll Free Help Line: 00 800 5464 5464 48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor New York, NY 10005 United States North American Toll Free Help Line: 1 (800)848 2998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Important Information This announcement is made pursuant to article 9b(1) of the Dutch Decree on the Supervision of the Securities Trade 1995. In connection with the offer for ABN AMRO, RBS has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') a Registration Statement on Form F-4, which includes a preliminary version of the prospectus, and the Banks have filed with the SEC a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO and other relevant materials. The Form F-4 has not yet become effective. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ ANY DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE OFFER BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors may obtain a copy of such documents without charge, at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov/). Copies of all documents filed in connection with the offer may also be obtained from each Bank, without charge. This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. Forward-Looking Statements This announcement includes certain 'forward-looking statements'. These statements are based on the current expectations of the Banks and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in certain circumstances. Forward-looking statements include any synergy statements and, without limitation, other statements typically containing words such as 'intends', 'expects', 'anticipates', 'targets', 'plans', 'estimates' and words of similar import. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the presence of a competitive offer for ABN AMRO, whether the Banks and ABN AMRO enter into any definitive agreement with respect to the potential acquisition of ABN AMRO, satisfaction of any conditions to the offer, including the receipt of required regulatory and anti-trust approvals, the successful completion of the offer or any subsequent compulsory acquisition procedure, the anticipated benefits of the offer (including anticipated synergies) not being realized, the separation and integration of ABN AMRO and its assets among the Banks being materially delayed or more costly or difficult than expected, as well as additional factors, such as changes in economic conditions, changes in the regulatory environment, fluctuations in interest and exchange rates, the outcome of litigation and government actions. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. None of the Banks undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fortis N.V., Archimedeslaan 6, 3584 BA Utrecht, Netherlands; Fortis S.A./N.V., Rue Royale 20, 1000 Brussels, Belgium The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc, Head Office, Gogarburn, Edinburgh EH12 1HQ, UK. Registered Office, 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB. Registered in Scotland No 45551 Banco Santander, S.A., Ciudad Grupo Santander, Avenida de Cantabria, s/n, 28660 Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, Spain This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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