Over 3 billion euro in new loans in 2006 for the bank

NEOS BANCA: LEONE SIBANI CHAIRMAN

Bolognese manager to head Intesa Sanpaolo’s consumer bank

Bologna, 7 February 2007. Leone Sibani is the new chairman of Neos Banca, Intesa Sanpaolo Group’s consumer bank.

The decision was made today by the Board of Directors on the recommendation of the parent bank, after co-opting Sibani onto the Board.

For many years Leone Sibani led the Bologna bank Carisbo in the role of General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, before assuming key managerial positions within Sanpaolo Imi Group, where he served as member of the board of directors of the parent bank and chairman of Sanpaolo Imi Private Equity (now Imi Investimenti).

Currently Sibani is chairman of Sanpaolo Imi Fondi Chiusi Sgr, a closed-end private equity fund management company, and a member of the boards of directors of various companies in Intesa Sanpaolo Group.

With Germano Turinetto as its CEO, Neos Banca is Intesa Sanpaolo’s specialist operator in the consumer credit market and over its history has financed 3.1 million customers in Italy. The bank has 35,000 commercial partnerships and issues loans for 3.1 billion euro per year. With a receivables stock of 5.9 billion euro, Neos Banca controls a market share of over 6% and is one of the major operators in the sector.

The Bologna-based company has a presence throughout Italy, with a network of 31 branches and over 270 points of sale. At end of 2006 the bank had 757 employees with an average age of 34 years, as well as 140 agents with over 1000 associates. As well as around 3 million families, its customer base includes over 100,000 professionals and self-employed workers and over 80,000 companies.

“Our objective,” said Leone Sibani, “is to consolidate Neos Banca’s role in the operating structure of Intesa Sanpaolo Group, both as a product factory and as a company specialising in family credit.”

INTESA SANPAOLO
Media Relations
Emanuele Caprara Tel. (+39)051-6454411 – (+39)335-7170843
emanuele.caprara@intesasanpaolo.com