Sale of Heidelberger Leben
21 August 2013
LLOYDS BANKING GROUP ANNOUNCES THE SALE OF HEIDELBERGER LEBEN
Lloyds Banking Group plc ("the Group") announces that it has signed an agreement to sell its German life insurance business Heidelberger Lebensversicherung AG ("Heidelberger Leben" or "the business") to a joint venture company owned by Cinven Partners LLP and Hannover Rück SE ("the buyer"), for a cash consideration of around €300 million, or approximately £250 million at current exchange rates.
Heidelberger Leben is a specialist provider of unit-linked pension, investment and life assurance products in Germany. The senior management employed by Heidelberger Leben will move with the business on completion of the sale. The business will continue to service the Group's policies in Germany and Austria written under the Clerical Medical brand, under a long-term administration agreement.
The gross assets subject to the transaction are £7.2 billion, which are predominantly policyholder assets. In the year to 31 December 2012 the business reported a statutory loss of £38 million. The sale of Heidelberger Leben is expected to lead to a loss on disposal of approximately £330 million in the Group's accounts but, combined with the sale of other assets, is currently expected to result in a benefit to the Group's common equity tier 1 capital of approximately £0.4 billion upon completion, equivalent to an approximate benefit of 13 basis points on a pro forma fully loaded CRD IV basis. The cash proceeds from the sale will be used for general corporate purposes.
The sale is in line with the Group's strategy of rationalising its international presence and ensuring value for shareholders.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to complete in early 2014.
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For further information:
Investor Relations
Charles King +44 (0) 20 7356 3537
Investor Relations Director
Email: charles.king@finance.lloydsbanking.com
Corporate Affairs
Ross Keany +44 (0) 131 655 5354
Head of Media Relations, Insurance
Email: ross.keany@lloydsbanking.com
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This announcement contains forward looking statements with respect to the business, strategy and plans of the Lloyds Banking Group, its current goals and expectations relating to its future financial condition and performance. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Group or the Group's management's beliefs and expectations, are forward looking statements. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will or may occur in the future. The Group's actual future business, strategy, plans and/or results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward looking statements as a result of a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, but not limited to, UK domestic and global economic and business conditions; the ability to derive cost savings and other benefits, including as a result of the Group's Simplification programme; the ability to access sufficient funding to meet the Group's liquidity needs; changes to the Group's credit ratings; risks concerning borrower or counterparty credit quality; instability in the global financial markets, including Eurozone instability and the impact of any sovereign credit rating downgrade or other sovereign financial issues; market-related risks including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates and exchange rates; changing demographic and market-related trends; changes in customer preferences; changes to laws, regulation, accounting standards or taxation, including changes to regulatory capital or liquidity requirements; the policies and actions of governmental or regulatory authorities in the UK, the European Union, or jurisdictions outside the UK in which the Group operates, including other European countries and the US; the implementation of the draft EU crisis management framework directive and banking reform following the recommendations made by the Independent Commission on Banking; the ability to attract and retain senior management and other employees; requirements or limitations imposed on the Group as a result of HM Treasury's investment in the Group; the ability to complete satisfactorily the disposal of certain assets as part of the Group's EC state aid obligations; the extent of any future impairment charges or write-downs caused by depressed asset valuations, market disruptions and illiquid markets; the effects of competition and the actions of competitors, including non-bank financial services and lending companies; exposure to regulatory scrutiny, legal proceedings, regulatory investigations or complaints, and other factors. Please refer to the latest Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of certain factors together with examples of forward looking statements. The forward looking statements contained in this announcement are made as at the date of this announcement, and the Group undertakes no obligation to update any of its forward looking statements.
This information is provided by RNS
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