Fitch withdraws Meliorbanca’s ratings on merger into BPER

Banca popolare dell’Emilia Romagna informs that on 28 March 2013, Fitch Ratings has affirmed Meliorbanca's ratings and subsequently withdrawn them. The withdrawal follows the merger of Meliorbanca into its parent, Banca popolare dell’Emilia Romagna (“BBB/Neg/F3”).

The ratings are being withdrawn because following the merger, the issuer has ceased to exist as a legal entity.

The rating actions are:

Meliorbanca

Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR): affirmed at “BBB” with a Negative Outlook; withdrawn

Short-term IDR: affirmed at “F3”; withdrawn

Support Rating: affirmed at “2”; withdrawn

Senior unsecured debt: affirmed at “BBB”; withdrawn

The original text of the press release published by Fitch is available on the rating agency’s web site (www.fitchratings.com).