Mortgage bank signed a cooperation agreement with Japanese investors for a Syndicated Club Loan of 3 milliards Japanese yens (EUR 18.5 mil.) in the beginning of June. “This business deal with the Asian investors is a result of several months work, and it makes us truly happy and proud that we concluded this deal and thus gained new cooperation partners in Japan, industrially most advanced country in the region. We find it important to diversify our investor pool and attract investments from various regions of the world. We are determined to do business actively with Asian banks further on. It should be noted, that it has been the first time in Latvia that a deal is concluded, where both the Arranger and lenders are from Japan,” remarks Mr. Normunds Šuksts, Head of the Finance Management department of the Mortgage bank. The investor base consists of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and The Chuo Mitsui Trust and Banking Co. Maturity of the loan is five years. Mortgage bank is the only Government-owned bank in the Baltic States. Safety and stability of the Bank is characterized by ratings assigned by the credit rating agency Moody's Investor Service: long-term obligations rating is A2, rating to its issued mortgage bonds - A1. The long-term obligations rating for Latvian Government is A2, thus the Bank is awarded the highest feasible rating evaluation in Latvia.