• Dividends: 4.9 euro cents to circulating ordinary shares and 6 euro cents to saving shares for a total amount of 330 million euro
• 318.5 million treasury shares distributed to all shareholders for a counter value of approximately 1 billion euro

Banca Intesa’s Ordinary Shareholders’ Meeting, held today under the chairmanship of Giovanni Bazoli, approved the Parent Company’s financial statements for 2003, which closed with a net income of 1,359 million euro. The Group’s consolidated financial statements as at December 31st 2003 were also presented to the Shareholders’ Meeting and registered a consolidated net income of 1,214 million euro.

The Shareholders’ Meeting approved the distribution of a dividend per share of 4.9 euro cents to circulating ordinary shares and of 6 euro cents to saving shares for a total amount of 330 million euro.

The Shareholders’ Meeting also approved a free assignment to all shareholders of 318,486,977 Banca Intesa ordinary shares, held in the Company’s portfolio (proceeding, according to the resolution of the Ordinary Shareholders’ Meeting of 17th December 2002, with the sale of the remaining 727,771 treasury shares held by Banca Intesa) at the ratio of two ordinary shares, which start to accrue rights as of January 1st 2004, for every 41 Banca Intesa ordinary shares and/or saving shares held. The Bank’s treasury shares reserve is thus reduced by 3.18 euro for each share assigned, a value corresponding to the unit carrying value in the financial statements as at December 31st 2003.

Considering this carrying value (3.18 euro), the assignment of treasury shares to shareholders is the equivalent of a distribution of a total dividend per share of 20.4 euro cents to ordinary shares and 21.5 euro cents to saving shares (respectively 6.6 euro cents and 7.9 euro cents for 2002) with a total pay-out of 1,343 million euro, compared to 434 million euro of the previous year.

Payment of dividends and assignment of treasury shares will take place starting from 22nd April 2004 with presentation of the coupons on 19th April 2004.