YBmarkets

Yorkshire Bank was founded in 1859 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, by Colonel Edward Akroyd as a philanthropic organisation. During the late 19th century the Bank became known as Yorkshire Penny Bank and by 1866 the number of branches reached their peak at 955 and, in 1874, the first school banks were launched. Yorkshire Bank developed into one of the most profitable regional banks in the UK.

In 1990 Yorkshire Bank became a member of the National Australia Bank Group, (NAB). NAB is Australia's highest ranked bank* and one of the world's top 30 financial services companies **.

NAB operates across 10 countries serving 10 million retail, business banking and wealth management customers. It provides an extensive range of funding, liquidity, risk management and investment solutions and is backed by a strong balance sheet with a AA credit rating. As one of Australia's largest listed institutions***, at 30 September 2008, NAB had total assets of GBP292 billion****, GBP43 billion**** in funds under management and a net profit of GBP2bn.

Yorkshire Bank is a trading name of Clydesdale Bank PLC, with its head office based in Leeds, UK and subscribes to the Banking Code.

Our international relationships coupled with our knowledge of local market environments enable us to deliver results efficiently and effectively, worldwide. Several major transactions have been recognised through segment award programs for their size, complexity and the strategic contribution and benefit to our clients.

* Fortune Global 500, 2008 (by revenue)
** Forbes Global 2000, 2008 NAB ranked 26th by industry
*** By market capitalisation, Australian Stock Exchange
**** As at 30 September 2008