Handelsbanken completes purchase of Lokalbanken

Handelsbanken is now completing the purchase of Lokalbanken i
Nordsjælland A/S.

This is after 97.7 percent of the shareholders in Lokalbanken, at the
end of the bid period, have accepted Handelsbanken's bid which was
presented on 15 September."Thus we expect to complete the acquisition during October," says Ulf
Riese, CFO of Handelsbanken.


For further information, please contact:

Ulf Riese, CFO,                            phone: +46 8 - 22 92 20
Mikael Hallåker, head of Investor          phone: +46 8 - 701 29 95
Relations,
                                           mobile: +46 70 - 266 29 95
Johan Lagerström, press officer,           phone: +46 8 - 701 13 95
                                           mobile: +46 70 - 265 80 14