ABN AMRO Hires Senior Economist for Brazil.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000

ABN AMRO today announced a key addition to its emerging markets research capability with the hiring of Mario Mesquita as senior economist for Brazil.

Mesquita will be based in the Sao Paulo (Brazil) offices of ABN AMRO/Banco Real, and will provide insights on economic and political developments in that country for the benefit of local and international clients of the bank, both issuers and investors.

Mesquita has BA and MA degrees in economics from two leading Brazilian universities (the Federal and Catholic universities of Rio de Janeiro respectively) and has MPhil and DPhil degrees in economics from the University of Oxford. He has worked as an economic analyst at the Institute of Applied Economic Research in Rio de Janeiro (1991-92) and at the International Monetary Fund (1997-2000), where he carried out empirical macroeconomic research on a variety of countries including Brazil, Finland, Israel and Spain.

Marcelo Iacovone, Senior Vice President and Treasurer of ABN AMRO/Banco Real in Sao Paulo, and Arturo Porzecanski, Managing Director and Head of Emerging Markets Economics and Debt Strategy at ABN AMRO Incorporated in New York, commented:

"We had been missing a senior Brazil-based economist since Rubens Sardenberg left us earlier this year to become the Deputy Head of the Brazilian National Treasury in Brasilia, and we therefore very much welcome Mario's arrival. His professional experience both in Brazil and at the IMF in Washington will prove invaluable in advising our clients about the risks and opportunities to be found in that country."

ABN AMRO Incorporated and ABN AMRO/Banco Real are units of Netherlands-based ABN AMRO Bank N.V., one of the world's largest banks with total assets of $511 billion and more than 3,500 locations in over 70 countries and territories. In North America, ABN AMRO is headquartered in Chicago and has $171 billion in assets and more than 18,000 employees with wholesale banking offices in 13 cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Major North American subsidiaries include ABN AMRO Incorporated, an investment banking, advisory and brokerage firm; ABN AMRO Asset Management (USA) LLC; LaSalle Bank in Chicago; Standard Federal Bank in Michigan and EAB in New York.