DGAP-News: ARAGON AG: ARAGON subsidiary Jung, DMS & Cie. adds approximately 2,000 investment brokers of AXA subsidiary DVV

ARAGON AG / Miscellaneous

02.03.2009 

Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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  - ARAGON subsidiary Jung, DMS & Cie. adds approximately 2,000 investment
    brokers of AXA subsidiary DVV

  - Germany's largest non-bank liability umbrella established

  - Buy-and-build strategy consistently pursued

With immediate effect, Jung, DMS & Cie AG, Grünwald, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Aragon AG, will be responsible for supporting the
approximately 2,000 investment brokers of the AXA subsidiary, DBV
Vermittlungsgesellschaft mbH für Versicherungen und Vermögensbildung (DVV),
Offenbach. Following this increase in the number of serviced brokers with
activities in investments, approximately 1,000 of whom work as tied agents
under the own liability umbrella, Jung, DMS & Cie. will be the largest
liability umbrella in Germany which operates independently of banks.

Commenting on the transaction, Dr. Sebastian Grabmaier, Chairman of the
Management Board of Jung, DMS & Cie. and CEO of Aragon said: 'The takeover
of the DVV broker pool is a perfect example of how we are pursuing to
execute Aragon AG's successful buy-and-build strategy in 2009. It is also
another positive instance of strong strategic cooperation with our
shareholder, AXA. Our proven expertise in integrating broker pools means
that we expect to see a significant positive earnings contribution this
year already. The transaction cements our leading role as driving force of
the process of consolidation in the German brokerage market. At the same
time, it represents a further step towards overtaking financial services
provider MLP in the long term, based on the number of liability umbrella
partners notified to the Federal Financial Services Authority (BaFin),
which will make us the largest liability umbrella for independent sales.'

'We intend to offer a new home to all DVV brokers at Jung, DMS & Cie. in
the shortest possible time and are delighted to be able to make the
award-winning service offering, the adviser technology and the full product
universe of Jung, DMS & Cie. available to so many experienced finance
brokers with immediate effect. Our close cooperation with AXA and many
years of M&A experience guarantee that all DVV finance brokers will be
integrated in our systems swiftly and efficiently, enabling them to return
to their usual work environment, now under a new umbrella.'

Walter Schmidt, Managing Director of DVV and a future member of the
management team at Jung, DMS & Cie. is pleased for his brokers: 'When I
became aware of the progress Jung, DMS & Cie. has made in developing its
range of services for the day-to-day work of independent finance brokers,
the decision to change to the Jung, DMS & Cie. umbrella was easy. We intend
to make the transfer as easy as possible for our partners by ensuring the
highest level of continuity in cooperation with the existing DVV support
team.'

About ARAGON AG

ARAGON AG is a broadly diversified financial services company, with the
divisions Retail Sales, Banking & Banking Services and Institutional Sales.
Aragon is active on the marketplace with multiple independent subsidiaries.
The company's aim is to integrate various distribution models under one
roof, without disturbing the individual identity of each sales company. The
result is a wide diversification across various asset classes and
distribution types, which generates a high stability in corporate earnings.
Further information about the company and its subsidiaries can be viewed on
the website: www.aragon.ag.

About Jung, DMS & Cie. 

The Jung, DMS & Cie. Group is a network of more than 12,500 independent
financial services providers in Germany and Austria. The advisers focus on
consultancy and support for their customers. The Jung, DMS & Cie. Group has
a team of over 100 people based in Wiesbaden, Grünwald near Munich and
Vienna, who process all administrative aspects relating to investment,
equity investment and insurance products as well as organising specialist
training and continued professional development for its partners to ensure
the best conditions for outstanding consulting quality.

Partners of the Jung, DMS & Cie. Group pool are in a position to offer
their customers in excess of 12,000 products from more than 300 companies
in the investment, equity investment and insurance sectors. Via the
liability umbrella of the Austrian subsidiary, Jung, DMS & Cie. GmbH, they
also have access to structured bank products, especially certificates,
hedge fund units and real estate shares. Today, the group of companies is
one of Europe's biggest purchasing pools of independent financial advisers
with a volume brokered of more than EUR 3.6bn in investment fund business
alone. At the same time, with equity, certified by a notary, in excess of
EUR 14m, it is one of the financially strongest providers in broker pool
business.

About DVV

DVV GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DBVW Holding, which in turn is a
subsidiary of the AXA Group. Within the DBVW organisation, DVV has broker
responsibility for insurance and financial products vis-à-vis partners
outside the AXA Group. Its activities focus on brokerage of investment
products to external investment companies and banks. For this purpose, DVV
has the status of a securities trading company in accordance with section 1
sub-section 3d clause 2 of the German Banking Act (KWG).

With Walter Schmidt at the helm, DVV GmbH has refocused its sales
activities in the past five years on growth in the segment of independent
financial services providers. To this end, DVV has successfully positioned
itself in the market as an investment pool for partners outside the parent
company, DBVW. In the past five years, around 2,000 finance brokers joined
DVV. Overall, the DVV sales partners service approximately 100,000
customers with managed assets totalling some EUR 800m.

DVV GmbH and AXA welcome the close cooperation with Jung, DMS, an
experienced partner of excellent standing in the relevant market segment.
By combining the wide range of products and services for independent
finance brokers offered by Jung, DMS with the sales performance of Walter
Schmidt's team, the two companies expect to strengthen their respective
businesses in the growth market of independent finance brokers.



Contact:
Aragon Aktiengesellschaft

Ralf Funke
Investor Relations
Tel.: +49(0)611 890 575-0
Fax:  +49(0)611 890 575-99
E-Mail: funke@aragon-ag.de


DGAP 02.03.2009 
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