COUTTS & CO EXPANDS TEAM IN OXFORDSHIRE

22 March 2005

Coutts & Co, the UK’s leading private bank, has announced the expansion of its Oxford office to meet increasing demand for its wealth management services in the region.

Nigel Hawkins has joined as senior manager and will be taking over the management of the teams both in Oxford and Eton. He joins from HSBC where he spent 12 years in a variety of management roles, latterly in the Middle East and Channel Islands.

Richard Hallum joins as private banker and has over 20 year’s financial services experience. He joins Coutts from sister company NatWest, where he has spent the last ten years as a manager in its premium banking division. His focus will be to grow the business in the Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire regions.

Mandy Harvey, regional client group head, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Nigel and Richard to the team, an expansion that marks the continued success of Coutts in the region. With their many years’ experience, we are confident that they will successfully continue to build upon our existing clients throughout Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire and help us to lay the foundation for further expansion.

"This is an exciting phase of expansion for all of Coutts’ regional offices and we are delighted that we are able to utilise our new appointment to build on the success of 2004."

Nigel commented: "I am delighted to be taking over two such successful teams and look forward to the challenge of growing the business further in 2005. I have been impressed by Coutts’ commitment to expanding its presence in the region and look forward to the challenge ahead."

Coutts unveiled plans for significant expansion of its regional office network at the end of 2003. As part of its expansion plans, the private bank has been increasing the number of private bankers in its regional offices by as much as 60%. It also has plans to open two new offices, the locations of which are still to be confirmed.

-ends-

For further information please contact:

Claire Symonds, Regional PR Manager, Coutts & Co. Tel: 020 7957 2650, mob: 07970 001149, email: claire.symonds@coutts.com

Notes to editors:

Coutts & Co

• 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 90,000 high net worth clients worldwide through a network of 50 offices globally.
• The first Coutts regional office to be opened was Eton in 1961. The most recent new opening was Liverpool, late last year. 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 has for the third year in a row been awarded ‘Best Use of Long-Only Multi-Manager Structures’ at the Private Asset Management Awards 2005

• Coutts & Co is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered in England No. 36695. Registered office: 440 Strand, London, WC2R 0QS

• Calls may be recorded