Abbey International Lifts Interest Rates

LONDON - Abbey International, website www.abbeyinternational.com has announced that sterling interest rates on its popular Gold current account are to rise with effect from 01 September 2009.

- On balances from GBP100,000 to GBP249,000, the new rate is 1.50% gross/AER - For balances over GBP250,000, the new rate is 1.75% gross/AER

Gold account also offers clients access to a host of banking and related benefits, including the recently launched Visa Infinite and Platinum cards, each of which offers comprehensive insurance, travel and leisure services designed around the needs of the international traveller, whether travelling on business or for pleasure. The Gold account offers multi currency deposit and banking facilities in sterling, euros and US dollars and is internet enabled.

Based on search carried out on 04 September 2009, Abbey International’s Gold account is currently a Moneyfacts offshore current account Best Buy (source moneyfacts.co.uk)

Rates on Abbey International’s Deferred Interest Deposit Account have also been raised.

- On balances from GBP50,000 - GBP249,999, the new rate is 2% gross/AER - For balances of GBP250,000 and over, the new higher rate is 2.25% gross/AER

The Deferred Interest Deposit Account offers clients the ability to choose the date when they can take potentially taxable interest income. This ability to determine when interest income is received may help personal tax planning.

Notes to Editors:

Abbey International is located in Jersey, a secure, well-established and politically stable financial centre, which is renowned internationally for its high standards of regulation. Jersey’s unique constitution and relationship with the British Crown dates back hundreds of years. This provides for a unique legal and neutral tax system that can provide significant wealth planning opportunities for the international investor.

Abbey international has a minimum balance entry requirement of GBP50,000 (or currency equivalent) across our portfolio of products. The minimum balance amount can be spread across a range of accounts, subject to the minimum opening deposit for each account being met.

All deposits carry the full and unconditional guarantee of Abbey National plc, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the Santander Group.

Santander has more than 150 years’ experience in banking and more branches worldwide than any other international bank.

Abbey and Santander

Banco Santander, S.A., (SAN.MC, STD.N), headquartered in Madrid, engages primarily in commercial banking with complementary activities in global wholesale banking, cards, asset management and insurance. Santander had over EUR 1.079 trillion in funds under management at Sept. 30, 2008, from more than 80 million customers* served through more than 13,000 branches - more branches than any other international bank. Founded in 1857, Santander is the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America and has a significant presence in Western Europe and in the United Kingdom, through its Abbey subsidiary. In the first nine months of 2008, Santander registered EUR6,935 million in attributable net profit, an increase of 16% from 2007, excluding capital gains.

In Latin America, (excluding Banco Real) Santander manages over US$200 billion in business volumes (loans, deposits, mutual funds, pension funds and managed funds) through 4,638 branches. In the first nine months of 2008, (excluding Banco Real) Santander reported EUR 2,167 million in net attributable income in Latin America.

* Includes, Alliance & Leicester, Bradford & Bingley savings and Banco Real.

For more information, see www.santander.com.

For further information on banking with Abbey International on Jersey call +44(0)1534-828-828 or log onto www.abbeyinternational.com

For media use only and not to be relied on by consumers to make financial decisions.

Source: Abbey International

Media Contacts: Guy Stephenson/Jennifer Duffy, Nacelle Ltd, +44(0)20-8333-9125, gstephenson at nacelle.co.uk; Jane Matthews, Abbey International, Head of Marketing & Business Development, +44(0)1534-828137, Jane.matthews at abbeyinternational.com