Banca Popolare Commercio and Industria (BPCI) put its name to a euro1 billion ($854.96 million) Euro-MTN programme last week, June 13 2001. Schroder Salomon Smith Barney has won the mandate to act as arranger off the programme. It is the eighth Italian Bank to sign an MTN programme since the beginning of 2000, including Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of BPCI's direct rivals, which signed its euro7 billion Euro-MTN programme in June last year. The programme also marks the first time that Schroder Salomon Smith Barney has arranged an Italian programme since 1999. The last time was for Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna's euro3 billion Euro-MTN programme in July that year. BPCI has more than 200 branches in central and northern Italy and seeks new customers through frequent acquisitions, expansion of its product line and an emphasis on credit lending. The dealers off the programme are the arranger, ABN Amro, Banca Intermobiliare, Barclays Capital, Credit Agricole Indosuez, Deutsche Bank and Unicredit Banca Mobiliare.
June 22, 2001