AEGON Asset Management is launching a UK Opportunities fund, which will aim to provide investors with consistent top quartile performance through a concentrated, high conviction stock-picking approach.

The AEGON UK Opportunities fund builds on the growing reputation of its UK Equity team and will seek to achieve maximum returns through a flexible and pragmatic investment approach. It will invest in a multi-cap portfolio of predominately UK based stocks, although initially there will be a greater emphasis on small to mid-caps, which reflects AEGON’s view of where the value is in the current market.

Managed by Audrey Ryan, with Peter Shaw as support manager, the UK Opportunities fund intends to take an unconstrained investment approach, capitalising on the recognised research capabilities of the UK equity team.

The launch of the UK Opportunities fund has been driven by demand from our customers for an unconstrained UK equities product.

Ryan currently runs the AEGON Ethical Equity Fund, which has achieved consistent strong performance top quartile over one, three and five years*.

Jon Bennett, AEGON’s director of third party business, says:

“Audrey Ryan and the AEGON UK equities team have a proven strong and growing reputation as stock-pickers, they have a highly disciplined and dynamic team based approach, which is borne out by the recent successes of the UK Equity, Ethical Equity and UK Smaller Companies funds.”

Ryan says:

“The UK Opportunities fund will aim to take advantage of our experience and in-depth knowledge of the UK equities market without any benchmark constraints. It will be a high conviction, stock-picking fund with no sector or stock limits and have an ideal range of 50 to 60 stocks.”

To mark the launch of the AEGON UK Opportunities fund early investors will benefit from a 2.5% discount reducing the initial charge to 3% for the first two months. This means that if the 3% initial commission is rebated there are zero up-front costs for the investor.

Launched on 1 March 2007, the AEGON UK Opportunities fund is one of three new funds to be launched by AEGON Asset Management. It is also launching a UK Cautious Managed and an Ethical Cautious Managed fund.

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Notes to Editors

AEGON Asset Management UK's assets under management total more than £40 billion**. The company's activities are divided into three business areas: Institutional Business, Insured Business and Retail-Fund Business.

* Source: Lipper as at 31 January 2007.
**Source: AEGON Asset Management as at 31 January 2006.

Curriculum Vitaes

Audrey Ryan – Investment Manager, UK Equities
Audrey joined AEGON in January 1997 from General Accident Plc where she was a UK small companies portfolio manager. She qualified as a chartered accountant in 1993 after graduating with a degree in accountancy. She also has an MSc in investment analysis and is a member of ASIP. Audrey manages AEGON 's Ethical Equity Fund and has done so since 1999. She is a sector specialist in several UK small-cap sectors together with the leisure & hotels and electronics & electricals sectors. Audrey is currently rated ‘AA’ by Citywire.

Peter Shaw – Investment Manager, UK Equities
Peter joined AEGON Asset Management in July 2000. His current responsibilities include management of the UK Equity Tactical Pension Fund, UK small companies funds and analysis of several UK small and mid-cap sectors together with the technology, transport and auto sectors.  Peter graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1996 with a BCom joint honours degree in business studies and accountancy. He qualified as a CA in 1999 and is a Member of the Securities Institute.

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