Filed by Bowne Pure Compliance
Filed by Banco Santander, S.A.
This communication is filed pursuant to Rule 425 under The Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Subject Company: ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
Registration Number: 333-144752
Date: September 28, 2007
Important Information
This announcement is made pursuant to article 9b(1) of the Dutch Decree on the Supervision of the
Securities Trade 1995.
In connection with the offer for ABN AMRO, RBS has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (the SEC) a Registration Statement on Form F-4, which includes a preliminary version
of the prospectus, and the Banks have filed with the SEC a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO
and other relevant materials. The Form F-4 has not yet become effective. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO
READ ANY DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE OFFER BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors may
obtain a copy of such documents without charge, at the SECs website (http://www.sec.gov/). Copies
of all documents filed in connection with the offer may also be obtained from each Bank, without
charge.
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any
securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer,
solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities
laws of any such jurisdiction. This communication is not an offer of securities for sale into the
United States. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to
registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement includes certain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the
current expectations of the Banks and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in certain
circumstances. Forward-looking statements include any synergy statements and, without limitation,
other statements typically containing words such as intends, expects, anticipates, targets,
plans, estimates and words of similar import. By their nature, forward-looking statements
involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will
occur in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments
to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These
factors include, but are not limited to, the presence of a competitive offer for ABN AMRO, whether
the Banks and ABN AMRO enter into any definitive agreement with respect to the potential
acquisition of ABN AMRO, satisfaction of any conditions to the offer, including the receipt of
required regulatory and anti-trust approvals, the successful completion of the offer or any
subsequent compulsory acquisition procedure, the anticipated benefits of the offer (including
anticipated synergies) not being realized, the separation and integration of ABN AMRO and its
assets among the Banks being materially delayed or more costly or difficult than expected, as well
as additional factors, such as changes in economic conditions, changes in the regulatory
environment, fluctuations in interest and exchange rates, the outcome of litigation and government
actions. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause actual results to differ materially
from those in the forward-looking statements. None of the Banks undertake any obligation to update
publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
The following is an advertisement that was placed in The Wall Street Journal on September 28, 2007:
This announcement is neither an offer to exchange nor a solicitation of an offer
to exchange ABN AMRO ordinary shares or ABN AMRO ADSs (as defined below). The U.S.
Offer (as defined below) is being made solely pursuant to the U.S. Offer to
Exchange dated July 20, 2007, the related Letter of Transmittal and Form of
Acceptance and any amendments or supplements thereto and is being made to all
holders of ABN AMRO ordinary shares who are resident in the United States and to
all holders of ABN AMRO ADSs, wherever located. The U.S. Offer is not being made
to, nor will ABN AMRO ordinary shares or ABN AMRO ADSs be accepted from or on
behalf of, holders of ABN AMRO ordinary shares or ABN AMRO ADSs in any
jurisdiction in which the making of the U.S. Offer or the acceptance thereof would
not be in compliance with applicable law. In jurisdictions where the applicable
laws require that the U.S. Offer be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the U.S.
Offer shall be deemed to be made on behalf of RFS Holdings B.V. by one or more
registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.
Notice
by
RFS Holdings B.V.
Regarding its Offer to Exchange 35.60 in Cash and 0.296
Newly Issued Ordinary Shares, nominal value £0.25 per share,
of
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc
for
Each Issued and Outstanding Ordinary
Share and Each Issued and Outstanding American Depositary Share
of
ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
THE U.S. OFFER WILL EXPIRE AT 9:00 A.M. NEW YORK CITY TIME (3:00 P.M.
AMSTERDAM TIME) ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2007, UNLESS THE U.S. OFFER IS
EXTENDED.
RFS Holdings B.V. (RFS Holdings), a company formed by an affiliate of
Fortis N.V. and Fortis SA/NV, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (RBS) and an
affiliate of Banco Santander, S.A., has offered to acquire all of the issued and
outstanding ordinary shares, nominal value 0.56 per share (the ABN AMRO ordinary
shares), of ABN AMRO Holding N.V. (ABN AMRO) held by U.S. holders (within the
meaning of Rule 14d-1(d) under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended) and all of the issued and outstanding American depositary shares of ABN
AMRO, each of which represents one ABN AMRO ordinary share (the ABN AMRO ADSs),
for (i) 35.60 in cash, and (ii) 0.296 newly issued ordinary shares, nominal value
£0.25 per share, of RBS, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in
the Offer to Exchange, dated July 20, 2007, as amended or supplemented (the
Prospectus), and in the related Letter of Transmittal and Form of Acceptance
(which, together with the Prospectus, collectively constitute the U.S. Offer).
The U.S. Offer is being made to all holders of ABN AMRO ordinary shares who are
resident in the United States and to all holders of ABN AMRO ADSs, wherever
located, and is separate from a Dutch Offer (the Dutch Offer and, together with
the U.S. Offer, the Offers), which is being made to all holders of ABN AMRO
ordinary shares who are located in the Netherlands and to all holders of ABN AMRO
ordinary shares who are located outside of the Netherlands and the United States,
in each case if, pursuant to the local laws and regulations applicable to such
holders, they are permitted to participate in the relevant offer. The Offers are
being conducted simultaneously and have the same terms and are subject to the same
conditions.
The U.S. Offer is subject to the satisfaction or waiver by RFS Holdings of
certain conditions, including there having been validly tendered and not properly
withdrawn in the Offers, on a combined basis, together with all ABN AMRO ordinary
shares (including ABN AMRO ordinary shares represented by ABN AMRO ADSs) otherwise
held by RFS Holdings, at least 80% of the issued and outstanding ABN AMRO ordinary
shares, calculated on a fully diluted basis (the minimum acceptance condition).
RFS Holdings has received relief from the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission to permit RFS Holdings, following the expiration of the U.S. Offer, to
waive the minimum acceptance condition in accordance with Dutch law and takeover
practice in the event that the minimum acceptance condition has not been
satisfiedprovided that the number of ABN AMRO ordinary shares (including ABN
AMRO ordinary shares represented by ABN AMRO ADSs) validly tendered and not
properly withdrawn in the Offers, on a combined basis, together with all ABN AMRO
ordinary shares (including ABN AMRO ordinary shares represented by ABN AMRO ADSs)
otherwise held by RFS Holdings, represents not less than a majority of the issued
and outstanding ABN AMRO ordinary shares, calculated on a fully diluted
basiswithout extending the acceptance period of, or extending withdrawal rights
under, the U.S. Offer. Pursuant to Dutch law, RFS Holdings is required to
determine whether or not to waive the minimum acceptance condition within five
Euronext Amsterdam trading days after the expiration of the acceptance period for
the Dutch Offer.
RFS Holdings hereby announces that, without any further prior notice, it
reserves the right (but is not obligated) to waive the minimum acceptance
condition to the Offers after expiration of the U.S. Offer, in accordance with
Dutch law and takeover practice, in the event that the number of ABN AMRO ordinary
shares (including ABN AMRO ordinary shares represented by ABN AMRO ADSs) validly
tendered and not properly withdrawn in the Offers, on a combined basis, together
with all ABN AMRO ordinary shares (including ABN AMRO ordinary shares represented
by ABN AMRO ADSs) held by RFS Holdings, represents not less than a majority of the
issued and outstanding ABN AMRO ordinary shares, calculated on a fully diluted
basis. ABN AMRO shareholders who already have tendered their ABN AMRO ordinary
shares or ABN AMRO ADSs in the U.S. Offer but whose willingness to tender into the
U.S. Offer will be affected by such waiver of the minimum acceptance condition
should withdraw their tenders immediately, or in any event should do so before the
expiration of the U.S. Offer at 9:00 a.m. New York City time (3:00 p.m. Amsterdam
time) on Friday, October 5, 2007, unless the U.S. Offer is extended.
The effect of such a waiver will be that ABN AMRO shareholders will not know
at the time they make their decision to tender their ABN AMRO ordinary shares or
ABN AMRO ADSs the exact percentage of the ABN AMRO ordinary shares (including ABN
AMRO ordinary shares represented by ABN AMRO ADSs) RFS Holdings will own after the
consummation of the U.S. Offer, although they will know that such percentage will
be at least a majority of the ABN AMRO ordinary shares (including ABN AMRO
ordinary shares represented by ABN AMRO ADSs).
RFS Holdings is not by virtue of having made this announcement obliged to waive the minimum
acceptance condition.
Withdrawal rights will terminate following the expiration of the U.S. Offer,
which may be extended by RFS Holdings. If RFS Holdings waives the minimum
acceptance condition as described above, RFS Holdings will provide a subsequent
offering period of at least five U.S. business days following such waiver. During
such subsequent offering period, the U.S. Offer would be open for acceptances;
however, withdrawal rights will not be available during such period.
ABN AMRO ordinary shares and ABN AMRO ADSs tendered for exchange into the
U.S. Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the expiration of the U.S. Offer
(including any extensions thereof). Holders may not rescind a withdrawal, but
holders may re-tender withdrawn ABN AMRO ordinary shares or ABN AMRO ADSs at any time
before the expiration of the U.S. Offer.
On July 19, 2007, RFS Holdings received confirmation from the U.S. Federal
Trade Commission that its request for termination of the waiting period under the
Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the HSR Act)
had been granted in relation to its acquisition of ABN AMRO, thereby satisfying
condition (g) of the U.S. Offer insofar as it relates to the application of the
HSR Act to the acquisition of ABN AMRO. RFS Holdings hereby announces that it will
not have obtained, prior to the expiration of the U.S. Offer, approval under the
HSR Act for the proposed reorganization of ABN AMRO following completion of the
Offers and hereby waives its right under the U.S. Offer to invoke the relevant
clause of condition (g) to the U.S. Offer as a result of not having obtained this
approval. Notwithstanding the foregoing, RFS Holdings retains its right (but is
not obligated) to invoke the remainder of condition (g) in case it shall not have
been waived or satisfied.
A holder of ABN AMRO ordinary shares held through an admitted institution of
Euroclear Nederland (such institution, an Admitted Institution) may tender its
shares through its Admitted Institution. The Admitted Institution may set an
earlier deadline for acceptance in order for the Admitted Institution to
communicate acceptances to the Dutch exchange agent, Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V.
(the Dutch exchange agent), in a timely manner and a holder should contact the
Admitted Institution through which it holds ABN AMRO ordinary shares to obtain
information about the deadline. A holder of ABN AMRO ordinary shares in registered
form may tender its shares by completing and returning a Form of Acceptance to the
Dutch exchange agent so as to reach the Dutch exchange agent before the expiration
of the U.S. Offer.
A holder of ABN AMRO ADSs held in certificate form, commonly known as
American depositary receipts (ADRs), may tender such ABN AMRO ADSs to the U.S.
exchange agent, The Bank of New York (the U.S. exchange agent), by delivering to
the U.S. exchange agent a properly completed and duly executed Letter of
Transmittal, with any applicable signature guarantees from an eligible guarantor
institution, together with the ABN AMRO ADRs evidencing such holders ABN AMRO
ADSs specified on the face of the Letter of Transmittal, before the expiration of
the U.S. Offer. A holder of ABN AMRO ADSs held through a financial intermediary
may tender such ABN AMRO ADSs by instructing the financial intermediary to arrange
for a participant of The Depository Trust Company (DTC) holding the ABN AMRO
ADSs in its DTC account to tender the ABN AMRO ADSs to the DTC account of the U.S.
exchange agent through the book-entry transfer facilities of DTC, together with an
agents message acknowledging that the tendering holder has received and agrees to
be bound by the Letter of Transmittal and the Prospectus (or, instead of the
agents message, the holder may deliver a properly completed and duly executed
Letter of Transmittal to the U.S. exchange agent). Holders should comply with the
dates communicated to them by the financial intermediary as they may differ from
the dates and times noted in the Prospectus.
The Prospectus and the related Letter of Transmittal and Form of Acceptance
contain important information which should be read carefully before any decision
is made with respect to the U.S. Offer.
Questions and requests for assistance or for copies of the Prospectus, the
related Letter of Transmittal and Form of Acceptance and other tender offer
materials may be directed to the global information agent, D.F. King & Co. (the
Information Agent), as set forth below, and copies will be furnished promptly at
RFS Holdings expense.
If you have questions, need assistance or require copies of the offer documents, please contact
the Information Agent:
D. F. King & Co., Inc.
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48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor
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2 London Wall Buildings, 2nd Floor |
New York, NY 10005
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London Wall, London EC2M 5PP |
Direct Dial: +1 212 269-5550
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Direct Dial: +1 44 (0)20 7920 9700 |
North American Toll Free Help Line:
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European Toll Free Help Line: |
1 (800) 848-2998
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00 800 5464 5464 |
September 28, 2007