Associate Partnership

Millfield Group PLC 30 May 2001 LAUNCH OF MILLFIELD ASSOCIATE PARTNERSHIPS TO CHANGE THE FACE OF THE IFA INDUSTRY Millfield Group plc, the AIM-listed independent financial advisory company, today unveiled Millfield Associated Partnerships ('MAP'), designed as a blueprint for the future of the IFA industry. Millfield Associate Partnership will complement Millfield's existing office network of advisers and extend Millfield's reach nationwide. Whilst Millfield will not be responsible for firms past activities, it will thoroughly review MAP applicants to seek to ensure that they operate to the high standards that Millfield has established and in particular that they have not been subject to any material pensions mis-selling or other regulatory issues. Millfield will insist on associated IFAs fully adopting its reporting principles, management control, support, training and compliance standards. Associated IFAs will provide their own business environment and infrastructure and will help build national scale and name awareness. IFA companies will have the opportunity to become a branded Millfield Associate Partnership and benefit from economies of scale, training, compliance and marketing support, advanced IT and Millfield best practice. The creation of MAP takes into account the competitive pressures increasingly marginaliszing the small IFA - reduced margins and consolidation within the industry. It also recognises thatalong with the increasing profusion and complexity of financial products - myriad types of ISAs, the advent of stakeholder pensions, innumerable types of mortgage, and an explosion in pension offerings - that require a greater breadth of knowledge and resources than the smaller firm can usually call on. Benefits to IFA companies becoming Millfield Associate Partnerships include: * The opportunity to become equity partners with Millfield Group plc * Access to state of the art information technology support including client management software to develop customer connectivity * Marketing and public relations resources * Compliance monitoring using the MAP framework with Millfield taking regulatory responsibility * Training from the Millfield Academy * Group buying power * The opportunity to maximize the potential of their business by using other IFAs' expertise from within the MAP group * Freedom to leave Armstrong Anderson Partners (AAP), the largest independent IFA in Northern Ireland with business in Scotland and the North of England, is to become the first Millfield Associate Partnership. Millfield is currently processing 30 individual applications from three firms in order that they can to join MAP. Paul Tebbutt, Chief Executive of Millfield, commenting on the creation of Millfield Associate Partnership, said: 'Clients of Millfield Associate Partnership will know that their IFA has been subjected to Millfield's compliance, training and competence systems. In addition the advice they offer is truly independent and that their local knowledge of the clients' background and circumstances is not lost in the bowels of some corporate beast. MAP creates a win win situation both for IFAs and their clients.' -ends- For further information, please contact: Sara Hooper-Smith, Senior Accounts Director Tel: 020 7955 1410 Redleaf Communications Mob: 07776 208896 Harry Roome, Finance Director Tel: 0208 680 5200 Millfield Group plc
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