Regarding the article in the newspaper "Eleftherotypia", published on March 23, 2007, which was also announced in the front page, and bore the title "And corporate bonds in the "sleight" El Dorado", Emporiki Bank wishes to pinpoint the following:
1. Emporiki Bank DOES NOT have any subsidiary in Luxemburg. The bond issued by Emporiki Bank is being freely negotiated at the Luxemburg stock market.
2. The Bank freely sells the bonds it issues, through underwriting banks, to institutional and private investors. The Bank pays commissions for the sale of these bonds.
3. Similar bonds have been issued by all major Greek Banks, following the same procedure.
4. Investors are de facto free to buy and resell these bonds in the market, without the participation of the Bank that issued them. The Bank does not benefit from these transactions.
5. The article in question mentions the Emporiki Bank name, while in no case can the Bank know the buyers of the bonds it issues and sells in a free investment market.
Finally, the article mentions the Bank s corporate bonds, saying that they "are of a much higher risk than the State ones". It is reminded that the Bond issued by Emporiki Bank enjoys a very high credit rating by the most trustworthy international credit rating organizations (S&P: Α-, Fitch: A, Moodys: A1)
The current announcement is made in the framework of dispensing accurate and comprehensive information both for the Public Opinion and the Bank s investors.