Results of Rights Issue

RNS Number : 6863O

Phoenix Group Holdings

09 November 2016

 

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

9 November 2016

Results of Rights Issue

Phoenix Group Holdings (the "Company") is pleased to announce that, as at 11.00 a.m. on 8 November 2016 (the latest time and date for acceptance, payment in full and registration of renounced Provisional Allotment Letters), it had received valid acceptances in respect of 141,322,809 New Shares (representing 97.65 per cent. of the New Shares offered) pursuant to the Company's Rights Issue announced on 28 September 2016 to part finance the proposed acquisition of Abbey Life.

It is expected that dealings in the New Shares, fully paid, will commence on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities from 8.00 a.m. today, 9 November 2016. It is also expected that the New Shares held in uncertificated form will be credited to CREST accounts as soon as practicable after 8.00 a.m. today, 9 November 2016, and that share certificates in respect of New Shares held in certificated form will be despatched to Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholders by no later than 15 November 2016.

In accordance with their obligations under the Sponsors and Underwriting Agreement dated 28 September 2016, HSBC, J.P. Morgan Cazenove and Morgan Stanley (the "Global Coordinators") shall use reasonable endeavours to procure, by no later than 4.30 p.m. on 10 November 2016, subscribers for all of the remaining 3,404,473 New Shares not validly accepted (representing approximately 2.35 per cent. of the New Shares), failing which the Global Coordinators and Commerzbank and Natixis have agreed to subscribe for, on a several basis, any remaining New Shares.

Qualifying Shareholders who did not take up their rights in the Rights Issue may have the New Shares to which they are entitled sold on their behalf. To the extent that such New Shares are sold at a premium to the Rights Issue price of 508 pence per New Share, the relevant Qualifying Shareholders shall be entitled to such premium less related expenses (including any applicable brokerage and commissions and amounts in respect of value added tax which are not recoverable), so long as the amount in question is at least £5.00.

A further announcement as to the number of New Shares for which subscribers have been procured will be made in due course.

Details of the Acquisition and Rights Issue are set out in the prospectus and circular dated 4 October 2016 (the "Prospectus"), available on the Company's website at www.thephoenixgroup.com. Terms used in this announcement shall have the same meanings as set out in the Prospectus.

Enquiries

Investors/Analysts:
Sam Perowne, Head of Investor Relations, Phoenix Group
[phone]

Media:
Neil Bennett, Tom Eckersley, Maitland
[phone]

Important Notices

This announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. This announcement is not a circular or a prospectus but an advertisement and investors should not acquire any Nil Paid Rights, Fully Paid Rights or New Shares or Depositary Interests referred to in this announcement except on the basis of the information contained in the Prospectus. The information contained in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. The information in this announcement is subject to change. A copy of the Prospectus is available on the Company's website and from the Company's principal place of business at 1st Floor, 32 Commercial Street, St. Helier, Jersey JE2 3RU, Channel Islands, provided that the Prospectus is not, subject to certain exceptions, available to certain shareholders in certain restricted or excluded territories. The Prospectus gives further details of the Acquisition and the Rights Issue.

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase or subscribe for, or any solicitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities in any jurisdiction. No offer or invitation to purchase or subscribe for, or any solicitation to purchase or subscribe for, any securities will be made in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any other jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is unlawful. The information contained in this announcement is not for release, publication or distribution to persons in, and should not be distributed, forwarded to or transmitted in or into, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa or any other jurisdiction where to do so might constitute a violation of local securities laws or regulations.

The Nil Paid Rights, the Fully Paid Rights, the New Shares and Depositary Interests and the Provisional Allotment Letters in connection with the Rights Issue have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or under any securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold, taken up, exercised, resold, renounced, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, within the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption from or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offer of any securities in the United States.

The distribution of this announcement into jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by law, and, therefore, persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with any such restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of such jurisdiction. In particular, subject to certain exceptions, this announcement, the Prospectus and the Provisional Allotment Letters should not, subject to certain exceptions, be distributed, forwarded to or transmitted in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa or any other restricted or excluded territories or any jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful.

This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's decision or options with respect to the Acquisition or the Rights Issue. The price and value of securities can go down as well as up. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The contents of this announcement are not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each shareholder or prospective investor should consult his, her or its own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial, business or tax advice.

HSBC Bank plc ("HSBC"), Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc ("Morgan Stanley") and J.P. Morgan Securities plc (which conducts its UK investment banking business as "J.P. Morgan Cazenove"), each of which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority ("PRA") and regulated in the United Kingdom by the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, London Branch ("Commerzbank"), which is authorised under German Banking Law by BaFin (the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) and is authorised and subject to limited regulation by the  PRA and the FCA in the United Kingdom, and Natixis, which is regulated in France by ACPR and the AMF and supervised by the European Central Bank (together, the "Underwriters"), are each acting for the Company and for no one else in connection with the Acquisition and the Rights Issue, and will not regard any other person as a client in relation to the Acquisition and the Rights Issue and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients, nor for providing advice in connection with the Acquisition, the Rights Issue or any other matter, transaction or arrangement referred to in this announcement.

Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on the Underwriters by the FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder, none of the Underwriters nor any of their respective affiliates accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever and makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, for the contents of this announcement, including its accuracy, fairness, sufficiency, completeness or verification or for any other statement made or purported to be made by it, or on its behalf, in connection with the Company or the Acquisition or the Rights Issue and nothing in this announcement is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise or representation in this respect, whether as to the past or future. Each of the Underwriters and their respective affiliates accordingly disclaims to the fullest extent permitted by law all and any responsibility and liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) which it might otherwise have in respect of this announcement or any such statement. Furthermore, each of the Underwriters and/or their affiliates provides various investment banking, commercial banking and financial advisory services from time to time to the Company.

No person has been authorised to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this announcement and the Prospectus and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied on as having been authorised by the Company, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Cazenove, Commerzbank or Natixis. Subject to the Listing Rules, the Prospectus Rules and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the FCA, the issue of this announcement shall not, in any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the affairs of the Company since the date of this announcement or that the information in it is correct as at any subsequent date.

Each of the Underwriters and/or their respective affiliates, acting as investors for their own accounts, may, in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory provisions, engage in transactions in relation to the Nil Paid Rights, the Fully Paid Rights, the New Shares, the Depositary Interests and/or related instruments for their own account for the purpose of hedging their underwriting exposure or otherwise. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Underwriters and their respective affiliates do not propose to make any public disclosure in relation to such transactions.

 

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