RiskMetrics Advises Voting In Favor Of Fortis/BNP Paribas

Financial consultancy and risk management company RiskMetrics Group Inc. (RMG) has advised its customers to vote in favor of the deal between Fortis Holding NV (FORB.BT) and BNP Paribas (BNP.FR),a RiskMetrics spokeswoman told Dow Jones Newswires Friday.

RiskMetrics is a worldwide operating advisor for many institutional investors. A spokeswoman for Fortis Holding told Dow Jones Newswires that several of Fortis' institutional shareholders are among RiskMetrics' customers.

Fortis shareholders vote next week on a proposed deal between the Belgian government, Fortis Holding and French bank BNP Paribas to sell a majority of Fortis BankBelgium to the French bank.

In February, Fortis shareholders voted against an earlier deal with BNP Paribas by a narrow margin. Dutch pension fund ABP, which holds 3% of Fortis, abstained in that vote.

A spokeswoman for RiskMatrics in Brussels said it advised voting in favor of the proposed Fortis-BNP Paribas deal because it is the best option for Fortis' shareholders.

She declined to provide details of which customers it advised.

-By Bart Koster; Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]