Strong reported profits for Sampo in January-Ju...

SAMPO PLC              PRESS RELEASE            10 August 2011 at 9.40 am



Strong reported profits for Sampo in January-June 2011

Sampo Group's profit before taxes for January - June 2011 increased to EUR 756
million compared to EUR 621 million year earlier. Earnings per share rose to EUR
1.13 (0.92).

- In the first half of 2011 Sampo's results developed strongly, Kari Stadigh,
Group CEO and President, says.

Profit before taxes for P&C insurance operation rose to EUR 422 million (333).
Associated company Topdanmark had EUR 3 million positive effect on profit.
Combined ratio improved to 92.7 per cent for the first half of 2011 (94.1).

Sampo's share of Nordea's net profit amounted to EUR 294 million (231). Profit
before taxes for life insurance operation rose to EUR 84 million (69).

Sampo Group's net asset value per share on 30 June 2011 amounted to EUR 16.24
(17.79). The reduction is largely explained by the dividend paid in April 2011
and Nordea's share price development.

Sampo Group's profit for the period (full-year 2011), excluding extraordinary
items, is expected to be good.

- Sampo has been cautious with its investment stance already for a longer time.
Normally when you see turbulence like this Sampo performs well. This time it's
not the crisis for the banking sector. It's a crisis for the public sector and
therefore I think we will perform even better than in the previous crisis. I
expect us to report stable results, Stadigh says.

If P&C is expected to achieve its long-term combined ratio target of below 95
per cent and to report a combined ratio of 92 - 94 per cent for the full-year
2011. Profit for the period (full-year 2011) is expected to remain very good.

Nordea's contribution to Group profit is expected to remain significant and to
strengthen further as the effects of the efficiency measures (the New Normal
Plan) outlined by Nordea start materializing.

Mandatum Life's profit for 2011 is expected to remain good although it is highly
dependent on capital market developments.



Please find Sampo Group's Interim Report January-June 2011 as well as a video
with Kari Stadigh, Group CEO, and Peter Johansson, Group CFO, at
www.sampo.com/result. Supplementary Financial Information is also available at
the same address.

For more information, please contact:

Maria Silander, Press Officer, tel. [phone]

Sampo will arrange a Finnish-language press conference (Savoy, Eteläesplanadi
14, Helsinki), today at 12:30 pm Finnish time.

An English-language telephone conference for investors and analysts will be
arranged at 4 pm Finnish time (2 pm UK time). Please call [phone]
(Europe) or [phone] (North America). Please be ready to state the
conference ID '899481' and the conference title 'Sampo plc 2011 Q2 Release'.

The telephone conference can also be followed from a direct transmission on the
Internet at www.sampo.com/result.



Distribution:
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Source: Sampo Oyj via Thomson Reuters ONE

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