OMERS Capital Partners Acquires CCNMatthewsTORONTO, ONTARIO December 22, 2006 - OMERS Capital Partners, the private equity arm of one of Canadas largest pension funds, has agreed to purchase CCNMatthews, a leading distributor of news releases, multimedia content and photos to the media and investment communities worldwide, in an all-cash deal. OMERS Capital Partners also announced that Manulife Capital, the private equity group of Manulife Financial, will assume a minority stake in the newswire as a portfolio investment. We view CCNMatthews and Market Wire as industry innovators delivering exceptional financial results. The opportunity they represent is consistent with our strategy to invest in strong, well-managed businesses with the potential to grow, said Paul G. Renaud, President and CEO of OMERS Capital Partners. As one of the fastest-growing brands in the newswire and information distribution industry, were very pleased to have such a solid financial partner supporting our growth, said Michael Nowlan, President and CEO of CCNMatthews. CCNMatthews and its U.S. subsidiary Market Wire are full-service distributors of press releases and material news in Canada and the United States for public and private companies, governments and other organizations. The companies issue in excess of 90,000 press releases each year. About CCNMatthews and Market WireCCNMatthews delivers news releases, multimedia content and photos to the media and investment communities around the world quickly and reliably. The Company and its U.S. subsidiary Market Wire serve more than 6,000 corporate, government, non-profit, union and association clients, and boast one of the largest media distribution footprints in North America. CCNMatthews offers the most secure and cost-effective distribution of real-time news to thousands of media outlets including AP, Dow Jones, Bloomberg, Reuters, Yahoo!, and MSNBC, and is the only news release distributor to offer direct access to the CP (Canadian Press) Wire Network and the CP picture distribution wire across Canada. Committed to world-class client service, industry-leading distribution, technology innovation and market-leading strategic relationships, the Company serves PR and IR professionals with key workflow solutions including Easy PR/IR, SEO, ListLogix, and more. Incorporated in Canada in 1982, CCNMatthews delivers the majority of news releases issued by publicly traded companies in Canada. For more, visit www.ccnmatthews.com and www.marketwire.com. About OMERS Capital PartnersOMERS Capital Partners manages private equity investments on behalf of OMERS, employing a team of investment professionals with in-depth experience in both fund and direct investing. As OMERS increases its private equity holdings, OCPs goal is to build a diversified portfolio by geographic market, economic sector, and types of companies. Visit the OMERS Capital Partners web site at www.omerscapital.com. About OMERSOMERS is one of Canadas largest pension plans, with more than $41 billion in assets invested around the globe in publicly-traded investments, real estate, infrastructure and private equity. It provides retirement benefits to about 365,000 members of behalf of approximately 900 local government employers across Ontario. For further information go to www.omers.com. For further information, please contact: |
