Credito Artigiano: The Shareholders' Meeting approves the financial statement as at 31.12.2004 and renews the appointment of external auditing firm Reconta Ernst & Young €0.1126 dividend for each of the 132,517,760 shares with dividend entitlement starting on 1.1.2003, to be made payable on 14 April 2005 (registration date 11 April 2005).

Milan, 4 April 2005 The Shareholders' Meeting of Credito Artigiano today approved the financial statement as at 31 December 2004, whose figures show a positive trend in primary combined assets and an upturn in management profitability indicators.

The Meeting approved a €0.1126 dividend-entirely comprised of profits from the financial year-for each of the 132,517,760 shares with dividend entitlement starting on 1.1.2004, to become payable on 14 April 2005 (registration date 11 April 2005) at all authorised brokers employing the centralised administration system Monte Titoli S.p.A., with registration on coupon no. 6.

The Shareholders' Meeting also renewed the appointment of Reconta Ernst & Young S.p.A. as the external auditing firm for the three-year period 2005 - 2007.

For further information, contact:

Tiziana Camozzi
Institutional Communications
Telephone +39 02 80637471
E-mail: camozzi.tiziana@creval.it