SANTANDER

Founded in Northern Spain in 1857, Santander is a commercial and retail bank with a presence in 10 core markets in Europe and North and South America. It is the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization and the fourth largest bank in the world by profit in 2009.

Since its entry into the UK market in November 2004, Santander has transformed the three businesses it acquired. The integration of separate management structures, systems and brands improved profitability and allowed Santander to broaden its range of value-for-money products which contributed to strong organic growth Santander Group is a diversified retail and commercial bank with around 15, 000 branches, more than any other international bank, and around 100 million customers. Its success comes from being close to its customers, its focus on retail and commercial banking and a sensible approach to lending. The relationship with our customers is long-standing and built on trust and confidence. In difficult times, knowing the people who you borrow from and lend to is a distinct advantage. Our customers are also spread across the world. Santander operates in ten main markets where its strategy is to have critical mass, enabling it to operate efficiently and offer its customers the best in products and services. As a bank diversified geographically as well as along business lines, Santander is not exposed to a single market or country. Our strict and prudent risk management, together with our relentless focus on retail and commercial banking, gives the bank a low and predictable risk profile. In 2010, the Group posted profits of more than €8 billion for the fourth consecutive year. This was achieved against the worst economic backdrop for several decades.