Coutts opens for business in Chelmsford

Coutts & Co, today announces the opening of its Chelmsford office, at Eastwood House, Glebe Road, CM1 1QW. The office opens with six team members, and plans to grow to eight by the end of the year.

The private bank, which looks after some of the UK’s top entrepreneurs, executives and sports and entertainment stars, has opened the office as part of its ongoing plans to expand its network of offices and number of private bankers, throughout the UK. This is the third wave of Coutts regional expansion plan, which has increased the number of private bankers working from its offices outside London by 60%  - in some cases doubling local teams.

Alan Midwinter, Senior Manager for Coutts & Co in Chelmsford, commented: “Chelmsford is an ideal town for Coutts to open an office. Both our Guildford and Milton Keynes offices sit on the fringes of London, and have had great success in developing our business in the Home Counties. However, demand and opportunity is such that we need to allocate more resource to the area. Chelmsford, with its excellent transport network and strong professional community, is an obvious choice.

“The new offices are a fantastic reflection of the regional expansion programme in which we have invested over the last few years. We want to be accessible and geographically close to our clients. Where our competitors are only now beginning to move back into regional private banking, many having exited in 2002/3, Coutts is reaping the rewards of its long term commitment to the UK regions, which has now become the fastest growing area of our business. Year on year we have increased the number of our private bankers and are delighted to see this programme of expansion continue into new regions.”

The experience of the Coutts private bankers who have been working with clients in this area from their bases in London and Cambridge, recognise that there are many high net worth individuals living in the Chelmsford area.

“The people we have identified in the area are typically city executives, company directors or partners in professional practices, whose earnings and assets require expert wealth management advice.” continues Midwinter. “This is crucial if they are to achieve their full wealth potential, and our Chelmsford base is an ideal location from which to work with them.”

For more information contact on Coutts contact:
Alan Midwinter on 01245 292 546.

For further media information on Coutts contact:

Nick Gill, PR Manager, Coutts & Co on 0207 957 2427 or mobile 07970 001156 or e-mail nick.gill@coutts.com or Jo Thorne on 0207 957 2650 or email joanna.thorne@coutts.com.

Notes to Editors

About Coutts

·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 over 100,000 high net worth clients worldwide through a network of over 40 offices globally.

·The first Coutts regional office to be opened was Eton in 1961. Today, Coutts has regional offices in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Eton, Guildford, Hampshire, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, and Tunbridge Wells.

·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 & 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.

www.coutts.com

About Chelmsford

·Chelmsford, the county town of Essex is a rapidly growing population centre, within the eastern region of England and lies 30 miles North East of Charing Cross;

·It was established in Roman Times as a market town but is now an important manufacturing town with a growing financial services sector;

·Currently a fifth of the population of England live within an hours drive of Chelmsford and it has excellent road communications with the M25 just 15 minutes drive away;

·The area has a mix of old established wealth and newer money;

·A fast rail service links Chelmsford with the City of London (Liverpool Street) and some 10,000 commuters travel to London daily by rail making Chelmsford the busiest through rail station in England; and it is around 25 minutes drive from the UK’s fastest growing airport, Stansted and City Airport, Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton and Southend airports are all within easy reach.