Nordea’s holding in Alma Media fell below 15%

ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION STOCK EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT 18 Feb 2008 at 15:30

NORDEA’S HOLDING IN ALMA MEDIA FELL BELOW 15%

The company has received information to the effect that the ownership of a Swedish corporation Nordea Bank AB (publ) (business ID code 516406-0120) in Alma Media has not changed according to the announcement on 21 January 2008.

 

In the announcement, Nordea Bank AB told that when the forward contracts mature in February 2008, the joint ownership of Nordea Group and the Finnish Nordea Bank Suomi Oyj (business ID 1680235-8) in Alma Media would fall below 1/20.

Nordea Bank AB announces today that part of the above-mentioned forward contracts has matured in February 2008, and part of them has been extended to longer maturities. The holding of Nordea Group and Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj in Alma Media Corporation has thus not fallen under 1/20, as the bank previously announced, but below 3/20.

Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj presently holds 9,719,708 shares, representing 13.03% of Alma Media’s share capital and voting rights.

Furthermore, Nordea Life Assurance Finland Ltd. (business ID 0927072-8), a subsidiary of the Nordea Group, owns 239,906 Alma Media shares, representing 0.32% of the share capital and votes.

Altogether, Nordea Group owns 9,959,614 Alma Media shares, or 13.35% of the share capital and votes.

Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj, as previously announced, has made forward contracts on Alma Media Corporation shares. The deals have been made on the Stock Exchange with brokerage firms. Of those, 97,195 contracts (9,719,500 shares) mature in March 2008. As the forward contracts mature in March 2008, the holding of Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj and Nordea Group will fall below 1/20.

Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj has acquired the Alma Media Corporation shares it now owns as part of its liquidity guarantee business.

 

ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION

Mikko Korttila
General Counsel

DISTRIBUTION: Helsinki Exchanges, principal media

Alma Media is a profitably growing and internationally expanding company that invests in the future of newspapers and the online media. Its best known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com.

Net sales in 2007 totalled EUR 329 million and the operating margin was above19 %. The company’s share is listed in the Mid Cap segment of the OMX Nordic Exchange’s Nordic List, trading code ALN1V. More information at www.almamedia.fi