Possible offer for Direct Line Insurance Group plc

DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT: Possible offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Direct Line Insurance Group plc ("Direct Line") by Aviva plc ("Aviva") (the "Possible Offer")

THIS SECTION OF THE WEBSITE (THE "MICROSITE") CONTAINS ANNOUNCEMENTS, DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION (TOGETHER THE "INFORMATION") PUBLISHED BY AVIVA AND/OR DIRECT LINE RELATING TO THE POSSIBLE OFFER. THE INFORMATION IS BEING MADE AVAILABLE IN GOOD FAITH AND FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, AND ITS AVAILABILITY IS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT BELOW.

If you would like access to the Information please read this notice carefully – it applies to all persons who view this Microsite and, depending on where you live, it may affect your rights or responsibilities. Aviva reserves the right to amend or update this notice at any time and you should, therefore, read it in full each time you visit the Microsite. In addition, the contents of the Microsite may be amended at any time in whole or in part at the sole discretion of Aviva.

Basis of access

The Information is not intended to, and does not, constitute or form any part of an offer to sell or otherwise dispose of or an invitation or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or otherwise acquire any securities, or the solicitation of a vote or approval pursuant to the Possible Offer or otherwise in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful.

The Information speaks only at the date of the relevant document or announcement and Aviva has, and accepts, no responsibility or duty to update any Information (other than to the extent such duty arises as a matter of law or regulation).

If you are in doubt about the contents of this Microsite or the action you should take, you should seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, accountant or other independent financial adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, if you are in the United Kingdom, or from another appropriately authorised independent financial adviser if you are taking advice in a territory outside the United Kingdom.

The Information contained in this Microsite is subject to, and must be read in conjunction with, all other publicly available information and, where relevant, any further disclosure document(s) published by  Aviva and/or Direct Line.

Responsibility

In relation to any Information contained in this Microsite, the only responsibility accepted by Aviva and the directors of  Aviva is for the correctness and fairness of its reproduction or presentation unless a responsibility statement in any relevant document expressly provides otherwise.

Neither Aviva, its affiliated companies, nor any of their respective directors or advisers  have reviewed, and no such person is or shall be responsible for or accepts any liability in respect of, any Information contained on any other website which may be linked to this Microsite by a third party.

Overseas Persons

The Information is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction where to do so would violate the law of that jurisdiction or would result in a requirement to comply with any governmental or other consent on any registration, filing or other formality which Aviva regards as unduly onerous (each a "Restricted Jurisdiction"), accordingly, viewing the Information may not be lawful if you are resident or located in a Restricted Jurisdiction. In certain jurisdictions, including Restricted Jurisdictions, only certain categories of person may be allowed to view such materials. Any person resident or located outside the United Kingdom who wishes to view the Information must first satisfy themselves that they are not subject to any local requirements that prohibit or restrict them from doing so.

Similarly, the Information is not being, and must not be, released or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in or into a Restricted Jurisdiction and persons receiving such Information (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not distribute or send it in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction.

If you are not resident or located in a Restricted Jurisdiction, you may access the Information but you are responsible for first satisfying yourself as to the full observance of the laws and regulatory requirements of your jurisdiction.

If you are not permitted to view the Information or are in any doubt as to whether you are permitted to do so, please exit this Microsite and seek independent advice. Neither Aviva, its affiliated companies, nor any of their respective directors or advisers assume any responsibility for any violation by any person of any of these restrictions.

This Microsite contains Information that has been prepared for the purposes of complying with English law and the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers and the Information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this Information had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction outside of England and Wales.

Forward‑looking statements

The Information may contain certain "forward‑looking statements" regarding the financial position, business strategy or plans for future operations of Direct Line, Aviva and their respective group of companies. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in any document may be forward‑looking statements. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "targets", "plans", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "shall", "should", "anticipates", "estimates", "projects", "is subject to", "budget", "scheduled", "forecast" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements include statements relating to the following: (i) future capital expenditures, expenses, revenues, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, dividend policy, losses and future prospects; (ii) business and management strategies and the expansion and growth of Aviva's or Direct Line's operations and potential synergies resulting from the Possible Offer; and (iii) the effects of government regulation on the wider Aviva group's or the wider Direct Line group's business.

Such forward looking statements are prospective in nature and are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections of the management of Aviva about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results and are based on certain key assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward looking statements, including: the impact of ongoing uncertain conditions in the global financial markets and the national and international political and economic situation generally, market developments and government actions, changes in or inaccuracy of assumptions in pricing and reserving for insurance business (particularly with regard to mortality and morbidity trends, lapse rates and policy renewal rates), longevity and endowments, a cyclical downturn of the insurance industry, the impact of natural and man-made catastrophic events (including pandemics) on business activities and results of operation, the transitional, litigation and physical risks associated with climate change, failure to understand and respond effectively to the risks associated with sustainability, regulatory approval of changes to internal models for calculation of regulatory capital under the UK’s version of Solvency II rules, the impact of recognising an impairment of our goodwill or intangibles with indefinite lives, changes in valuation methodologies, estimates and assumptions used in the valuation of investment securities, the effect of legal proceedings and regulatory investigations, the impact of operational risks, including inadequate or failed internal and external processes, systems and human error or from external events and malicious acts (including cyber attack and theft, loss or misuse of customer data), increased competition, the loss of or damage to one or more key customer relationships, changes to habits, the outcome of business or industry restructuring, the outcome of any litigation, changes in global, political, social, business and economic conditions, changes in the level of capital investment, currency fluctuations, changes in interest and tax rates, changes in market prices, changes in laws, regulations or regulatory policies, developments in legal or public policy doctrines, technological developments, the failure to retain key employees, or the timing and success of future offer opportunities or major investment projects and the impact of any acquisitions or similar transactions. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Such forward looking statements should therefore be construed in light of such factors. Neither Aviva, nor any of its respective associates or directors, officers or advisers, provides any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward looking statements in this announcement will actually occur. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All subsequent oral or written forward looking statements attributable to any member of the Aviva Group, or any of their respective associates, directors, officers, employees or advisers, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. Aviva expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking or other statements contained herein, except as required by applicable law or by the rules of any competent regulatory authority, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, no statement in this Microsite is intended to constitute a profit forecast or quantified financial benefits statement for any period and no statement should be interpreted to mean that earnings or earnings per share will necessarily be greater or lesser than those for the relevant preceding financial periods for Aviva or Direct Line as appropriate.

Acceptance of disclaimer

If you are not resident or located in a Restricted Jurisdiction and are able to give the confirmations set out below, please click on "I AGREE".

Confirmation of understanding and acceptance

In order to view the materials on this Microsite, by clicking on the "I AGREE" box below, you are making the following confirmations:

  1. I have read and understood the notice set out above and agree to be bound by its terms;
  2. I am a resident of or located in the United Kingdom or another jurisdiction where the access to the Information by me does not constitute a violation of the relevant laws of such jurisdiction;
  3. I am not resident of or located in a Restricted Jurisdiction and I am not acting on behalf of someone who is resident or located in a Restricted Jurisdiction; and
  4. I will not copy, forward, transfer or distribute the Information to any person who is resident or located in a Restricted Jurisdiction.

If you are not able to give these confirmations (as applicable), you should click on "I DISAGREE" below and we cannot provide you with the information contained on this Microsite.