Consors Discount-Broker AG
Ad hoc-Service: ConSors Discount-Broker english

Ad hoc announcement processed and transmitted by DGAP. The issuer has the sole responsibility of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– Successful financial 2000: first dividend payout of euro 0.18 per share Efficiency enhancement program for 2001 resolved The Consors Group recorded outstanding development in 2000. The total number of trades across the Group increased by 145% to 12.3 million (of these: 10.5 million in Germany, and 1.9 million in the rest of Europe). With 325,000 new customer accounts opened, the Consors Group looks back on the most successful financial year in its history. The number of customer accounts reached 526,000 and increased by 162% over the 1999 total of 200,000 accounts. To let the shareholders participate in Consors’ successful business development, for the first time a dividend of euro 0.18 per share will be payed out. The total operating income rose in financial 2000 by 167%, from euro 125.0 million to euro 333.7 million. Funds income went up by 684% from euro 2.5 million to euro 18.4 million. Despite establishment and development of the European subsidiaries and the investments in IT platform expansion, Consors Group boosted income before taxes and marketing by 123% from euro 43.7 million to euro 97.5 million. Consolidated net income for the year totaled euro 17.0 million. Earnings per share amount to euro 0.38 for financial 2000. After adjustment for goodwill, earnings per share amount to euro 0.58 (cash EPS); this is an increase of 93% over the prior year’s euro 0.30. In addition to the dividend of euro 0.18 per share, shareholders domiciled in Germany receive the full tax allowance of euro 0.08, i.e. a total of euro 0.26 per share. Consors experienced slackening trade and customer development in the first quarter of 2001. Assets under custody across the Group reduced by 13% to euro 8.1 billion. The value development of customer accounts was clearly less in decline than the Nemax drop of 47% and a 23% slump on the Nasdaq. By March 23, 2001, Consors recorded 2.3 million trades and 27,000 new customers. Consors lost 14,300 accounts in the same period. These are primarily inactive accounts that were opened during the trading boom in the first quarter of 2000. Karl Matthäus Schmidt: “Despite the gloomy mood on the stock markets, we record a recession in trades in the first quarter 2001 only 20% compared to fourth quarter 2000. We have therefore initialized an immediate “Fit for Future” efficiency enhancement program that will cultivate at least 15% savings on the 2001 budget. We are using the bear market to effectively lower costs, gather our strength and start out of the strained capital market situation with new energies. Our strategy with BEG, Consors Capital and our consistent European approach are right and this makes us very optimistic.” end of ad hoc announcement, (c) DGAP 28.03.2001 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 542700; Index: NEMAX 50 Listed: Neuer Markt in Frankfurt; Freiverkehr in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 280841 Mär 01