2015-12-03 08:00:57 CET

2015-12-03 08:00:57 CET


REGULATED INFORMATION

Pohjola Pankki Oyj - Company Announcement

Standard & Poor's downgraded Pohjola Insurance Ltd's ratings, Pohjola Bank plc's credit ratings remain unchanged


Pohjola Bank plc
Stock exchange release
3 December 2015 at 09.00 am (EET)


Standard & Poor's downgraded Pohjola Insurance Ltd's ratings, Pohjola Bank plc's
credit ratings remain unchanged

Standard & Poor's Credit Market Services Ltd (S&P) has downgraded Pohjola
Insurance Ltd's insurer financial strength rating and long-term counterparty
credit rating by one notch from AA- to A+. S&P kept the rating outlook negative.
The underlying reason for the downgrades was S&P's decision to withdraw
sovereign support from factors that improve ratings.

At the same time, S&P affirmed Pohjola Bank plc's long-term counterparty rating
at AA- and short-term counterparty rating at A-1+, while keeping the rating
outlook negative.

Pohjola Bank plc
Carina Geber-Teir
Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications

For more information, please contact:
Elina Ronkanen-Minogue, Head of ALM and Group Treasury, tel. 010 25 28767
Lauri Iloniemi, Head of Group Funding, tel. 010 25 23541

Distribution
NASDAQ Helsinki Ltd
LSE London Stock Exchange
SIX Swiss Exchange
Major media
op.fi and pohjola.com

Pohjola is part of Finland's leading customer-owned financial services group OP
Financial Group. It provides its customers with banking, non-life insurance and
asset management services. Pohjola acts as OP's central bank and is responsible,
together with OP Mortgage Bank, for OP's funding in money and capital markets.
As laid down in the applicable law, Pohjola, its parent company OP Cooperative
and other OP Financial Group member credit institutions are ultimately jointly
and severally liable for each other's debts and commitments. Joint and several
liability within OP is based on the Laki talletuspankkien yhteenliittymästä Act
(Act on the amalgamation of deposit banks).
www.pohjola.com

OP Financial Group is Finland's leading financial services group providing a
unique range of banking, wealth management and insurance services. OP Financial
Group's mission is to promote the sustainable prosperity, security and wellbeing
of its owner-customers, customers and operating regions through its local
presence.  Its objective is to offer the best and most versatile package of
loyal customer benefits on the market. OP Financial Group consists of about 180
member cooperative banks, its central cooperative OP Cooperative, and the
latter's subsidiaries and affiliates. The Group has a staff of 12,000 and 4.3
million customers.
www.op.fi

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