Close Brothers Group plc is a substantial independent merchant bank, listed on the London Stock Exchange, based in the City of London.

Founded in 1878, Close Brothers Group plc is among the 250 largest companies in the U.K. by market capitalisation, with assets of £6bn at 31st July 2009.

Close Treasury is part of Close Brothers Group plc and is authorised to accept deposits under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Close Brothers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Our FSA registration number is 124750 and may be found on www.fsa.gov.uk

Yes, we are highly profitable. At our last audited year-end, 31st July 2009, we recorded £113m profit before tax.

Our available funds from facilities, customer deposits and our own cash totalled over £4.7bn; double the size of our customer loan book of £2.4bn.

We have followed a highly conservative approach to all our activities for many years.

Our strategy is to generate a mix of types of income and not rely on one profit centre or sector. The vast majority of our lending is on a secured basis.

Additionally, our loan book is relatively short term in duration, a significant proportion being repaid to us within 6 months.

We do not have exposure to the sub prime mortgage market.

Close Brothers is an extremely prudent bank and we maintain high liquidity levels at all times. We borrow long and lend short.

We do not have exposure to emerging markets or derivatives.

We do not speculate in derivatives but only use them for hedging purposes in connection with our customer loan book. This is the "protection" purpose for which these instruments were originally designed.

Short-term ratings answer the question "How safe is my money placed with this bank for periods up to one year?".

F1 is defined by Fitch as "Highest credit quality. Indicates the strongest capacity for timely repayment of financial commitments".

We are also rated by Moody's: Credit opinion on Close Brothers Ltd, London, United Kingdom Bank deposits A2/P1

We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The FSCS can pay compensation to depositors if a bank is unable to meet its financial obligations. Most depositors - including most individuals and small businesses - are covered by the scheme.

In respect of deposits, an eligible depositor is entitled to claim up to £50,000. For joint accounts each account holder is treated as having a claim in respect of their share so, for a joint account held by two eligible depositors, the maximum amount that could be claimed would be £50,000 each (making a total of £100,000). The £50,000 limit relates to the combined amount in all the eligible depositors accounts with the bank, including their share of any joint account, and not to each separate account.

For further information about the scheme (including the amounts covered and eligibility to claim) please refer to the FSCS website www.FSCS.org.uk or call 0800 678 1100

You can send money to us either electronically or by cheque. Your initial deposit must come from your nominated clearing bank account.

CHEQUES - Sent to us by post
Cheques will earn interest from the second business day after the cheque is received. The interest rate earned on your deposit will also be set on the day the cheque clears.
Cheques should be payable to Close Brothers Limited, drawn on your clearing bank account and sent with a covering letter to Close Brothers Limited, 10 Crown Place, London EC2A 4FT, marked for the attention of the Treasury Division.