Press Release 9th of March, 2009 Swedbank announces revised dividend proposal In connection with the year-end report the Board of Directors announced a proposal for a dividend of SEK 4.50 per ordinary share and SEK 2.40 per preference share. At the time the Board stated that the proposal struck a balance between the dividend objective and the importance of retaining capital within the bank in order to meet the deteriorating market outlook with retained strength and stability. Since then a number of indicators have pointed towards a continued deterioration of macroeconomic conditions in many of the countries in which Swedbank operates, which has lead to a renewed discussion in the Board regarding the dividend proposal. The Board has decided to change the dividend proposal. The previous proposal is therefore rescinded and the Board of Directors proposes that no dividend will be paid to ordinary shares or preference shares for the financial year 2008. By not paying a dividend Swedbank will further strengthen its capital by SEK 2.9bn, and add 0.4 percentage points to the total capital ratio, which would increase from 14.8 to 15.2 per cent. The revised proposal is supported by owners representing more than 45 percent of the votes and capital in Swedbank. The long term dividend policy remains unchanged. “Our task is to ensure the best interests of the bank. This proposal would further strengthen our capital base by SEK 2.9bn and increase the financial strength in challenging times. We are confident that this decision will be beneficial for our shareholders in the long term”, says Carl Eric Stålberg, Chairman of the Board. For further information, please contact: Carl Eric Stålberg, Chairman of the Board, Swedbank, phone: +46 8 585 910 01 Thomas Backteman, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs, Swedbank, phone: +46 708 311 166 Johannes Rudbeck, Head of Investor Relations, Swedbank, phone: +46 70 582 56 56 Anna Sundblad, Press Manager, Swedbank, phone: +46 70 321 39 95 Swedbank's vision is to be the leading financial institution in the markets where we are present. Swedbank has 9.4 million retail customers and 600,000 corporate customers with 419 branches in Sweden, 278 branches in the Baltic countries and another 215 branches in Ukraine. The group is also present in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Kaliningrad, Luxembourg, Moscow, New York, Oslo, Shanghai, St. Petersburg and Tokyo. As of December 2008 the group had total assets of SEK 1,812 billion and approximately 21,000 employees. For more information about Swedbank, please visit www.swedbank.com.
Swedbank announces revised dividend proposal
| Source: Swedbank AB