StJames Place Group Q1Figures

St. James's Place Capital PLC
26 April 2001


                                  PRESS RELEASE

                 St. James's Place Group New Business Figures

St. James's Place Group, wholly owned by St. James's Place Capital plc, has
announced its new business figures for the 3 months ending 31 March 2001.

The text of the announcement is attached:

Enquiries:

Mike Wilson, Chief Executive            Tel:  [phone]
Martin Moule, Finance Director          Tel:  [phone]

Nitya Bolam
Brunswick                               Tel:  [phone]




                           ST. JAMES'S PLACE GROUP

                             NEW BUSINESS FIGURES
                         UP 15% FOR FIRST QUARTER 2001


  * Highlights for the first quarter and changes over 2000 were:

New Regular Premiums
Life                              £5.0m                                     +2%
Pension                          £11.4m                                    +41%
Total                            £16.4m                                    +26%

New Single Premiums
Life                            £195.8m                                    +12%
Pension                          £41.8m                                    +65%
Total                           £237.6m                                    +18%

New Unit Trust Sales             £83.7m                                     -9%
(includes PEPs and ISAs)


Total New Business               £48.6m                                    +15%




  * Funds under management were £5.7 billion, unchanged since the year end.


                Mike Wilson, Group Chief Executive, commented:

'We are delighted to have achieved 15% increase in new business in the
difficult investment climate of the first quarter of this year. These results
follow the particularly strong growth in sales experienced throughout 2000'.


                           ST. JAMES'S PLACE GROUP

                            NEW BUSINESS FIGURES
                         3 MONTHS to 31 MARCH 2001



                                                          Unaudited
                                                         3 Months to
                                                        31 March 2001


Total Group Business                                 2001      2000  Growth

                                                      £'m       £'m       %


Life and Pension Business


New Regular Premiums
Life                                                  5.0       4.9      2%
Pension                                              11.4       8.1     41%

                                                     16.4      13.0     26%


New Single Premium
Life                                                195.8     175.3     12%
Pension                                              41.8      25.3     65%

                                                    237.6     200.6     18%

Unit Trust Business
(including PEPS and ISAs)

New Sales                                            83.7      91.8    (9%)

Total New Business

Life                                                 24.6      22.4     10%
Pension                                              15.6      10.6     47%
Unit Trust                                            8.4       9.2    (9%)

                                                     48.6      42.2     15%



                           ST. JAMES'S PLACE GROUP

                             NEW BUSINESS FIGURES
                    FOR 3 MONTHS ENDING 31 MARCH 2001


Notes to Editors

1.   'Total New Business' is calculated following the convention in the life    
     assurance industry, by adding together new regular premiums and one-tenth  
     of single premiums and unit trust sales.

2.   New business indicator (NBI), the measure used internally to equate the    
     relative value of different classes of business, was £15.4 million, up 16% 
     on 2000.

3.   Sales from Nascent, the Group's joint venture company in Italy have been   
     excluded from the reported figures. Nascent made investment sales during   
     the 3 months ending 31 March 2001 of £30.3 million, of which £8.2 million  
     related to products of other fund management firms.