COUTTS & CO CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Coutts & Co celebrates five years in Tunbridge Wells

Coutts & Co, the UK’s leading private bank, celebrated its fifth birthday in Tunbridge Wells on Thursday night.

Over 250 guests joined the team for an exclusive champagne reception at the Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells, which was hosted by Coutts Chairman, Lord Home. Guests were joined by the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells and MP for Wealden, Charles Hendry, and enjoyed a stunning summer’s evening.

After a session of live music in the marquee, comprised of a selection of classical cello duets and a jazz pianist, local singer, Tim Woodburn, sang three sets, including cover versions and some of his own compositions. This was followed by a prize draw, with prizes donated by the Hotel du Vin, the Royal Day Spa and Mercedes Benz Kent.

In his speech, Lord Home commented: “It is with great pleasure that we celebrate this milestone for Coutts in Tunbridge Wells in the same year that the town celebrates its 400^th anniversary. To see so many clients at the event this evening vindicates our decision taken at the time, when we though it wise to have a private banking facility covering the Kent and Sussex areas. Although London is not far away, we found that some of our friends and clients did not want to come to London to see us and it was therefore logical for us to be represented in the area: and where better than Tunbridge Wells?”

The office, which has grown consistently since its opening in 2001, continues to see high demand for its wealth management services throughout Kent and Sussex. Alastair Graham, senior manager added: “The office now looks after over 1,000 clients and has increased in number to eleven people, which is way beyond our expectations of five years ago. The credit for that has to go to the team, which has worked tirelessly to grow the business while looking after our clients.”

Coutts has links to Tunbridge Wells, dating back to 1797 when Thomas Coutts met the Duke of York, the son of George III in the town. He also visited the spa on a number of occasions, recommending his friends also visit for the health benefits.

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For further media information on Coutts contact:

Claire Symonds, Regional PR Manager, Coutts & Co on 0207 957 2650 or mobile 07970 001149 or e-mail claire.symonds@coutts.com

Notes to Editors

Coutts is the international private banking arm of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is one of the world's largest banking groups.
Coutts manages the wealth of 96,000 high net worth clients worldwide through a network of 40 offices globally.
The first Coutts regional office to be opened was Eton in 1961. The most recent new opening was Liverpool at the end of 2003. Today, Coutts has regional offices in Bath, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Eton, Guildford, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Tunbridge Wells & Winchester.
Coutts offers clients a range of products and services covering sophisticated investment products together with expertise in trust and fiduciary services and UK tax and banking services.
Coutts for three years running, (2003-2005) was awarded ‘Best Use of Long-Only Multi-Manager Structures’ at the Private Asset Management Awards
This year Coutts & Co was named the UK’s Best Private Bank by Euromoney magazine
Coutts & Co is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Coutts & Co Registered in England No 36695Registered Office 440 Strand London WC2R 0QS
Calls may be recorded