ABN AMRO Announces Senior Hires in U.S. Automotive Banking and Research

    CHICAGO--April 10, 2001--ABN AMRO has hired investment banker Fabian Hassel from UBS Warburg as managing director and head of the automotive group. He will join with his team, which includes Greg Kagay, the senior automotive analyst, to build team coverage of the sector in North America.
    Mr. Hassel, who will be based in New York, will report to Michael Glazebrook, Head of Corporate Finance in North America. Previously he was a managing director of investment banking at UBS Warburg, which he joined following the acquisition of PaineWebber, where he was a managing director and head of the automotive group. Before PaineWebber, he held similar positions with Schroders and Kleinwort Benson in New York.
    Mr. Kagay will join as senior research analyst and senior vice president. He will report to Margo Vignola, head of research for the Americas and will cover the full spectrum of North American auto stocks. He will work closely with ABN AMRO's global automotive research team, which provides comprehensive coverage of the sector worldwide. Prior to joining ABN AMRO, he was a senior analyst and first vice president at UBS Warburg, where he covered automotive suppliers. Before that he held similar positions at Schroders, Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder, McDonald Investments and Lehman Brothers.
    Carolyn Moses, chief executive officer of ABN AMRO's American Equities and Investment Banking Group, commented:
    "Coming on top of our acquisition of ING Barings' businesses in North America, these hires are another demonstration of our commitment to building our presence in the U.S. We are focusing on enhancing our capabilities in sectors where our global presence - and strong position in cross border deals and investment flows - gives us an advantage. With Fabian's and Greg's extensive expertise in the automotive industry, we will be very well positioned in this sector with both investment banking and research product. This is an excellent supplement to our European and global automotive capabilities."

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    ABN AMRO

    ABN AMRO, based in the Netherlands, is one of the world's largest banks with total assets of more than USD 500 billion and a presence in over 70 countries. Its activities are grouped into three strategic business units: Wholesale Clients, which provides integrated corporate and investment banking services to corporate, institutional and public sector clients worldwide; Consumer & Commercial Clients, which focuses on retail and SME clients in a number of core markets; and Private Clients & Asset Management, which focuses on private banking and fund management clients.

    ABN AMRO in the US

    ABN AMRO is one of the three largest foreign banks in the U.S. and the largest foreign commercial lender. It has a leading presence in the Mid-West commercial banking market through its subsidiaries LaSalle Bank, Standard Federal Bank and Michigan National Bank.
    In wholesale banking, ABN AMRO employs around 2,600 in the US. It offers an integrated corporate and investment banking service to North American clients in selected sectors, with a focus on cross-border transactions and investment flows. In January 2001, it announced the acquisition of most of ING Barings' North American investment banking businesses, reinforcing its position in a number of its key product areas, including equities, prime brokerage and corporate finance.