RBS 2005 Annual Report Download - page 259

section
04
Additional
information
257
Additional information
Annual Report and Accounts 2005
Description of property and equipment
The Group operates from a number of locations worldwide,
principally in the UK. At 31 December 2005, the Royal Bank
and NatWest had 643 and 1,631 retail branches, respectively,
in the UK. Ulster Bank and First Active had a network of 272
branches in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Citizens had 1,635 retail banking offices (including in-store
branches) covering Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. A
substantial majority of the UK branches are owned by the
Royal Bank, NatWest and their subsidiaries or are held under
leases with unexpired terms of over 50 years. The Group’s
principal properties include its headquarters at Gogarburn,
Edinburgh, its principal offices in London at 135 and 280
Bishopsgate and the Drummond House administration centre
located at South Gyle, Edinburgh.
Total capital expenditure on premises (excluding investment
properties), computers and other equipment in the year ended
31 December 2005 was £1,275 million (2004 – £1,578 million).
Major shareholders
Details of major shareholders of the company’s ordinary and
preference shares are given on page 111.
With the exception of Banco Santander Central Hispano S.A.
which sold (i) 79 million shares representing 2.5% of the
company’s ordinary share capital on 9 September 2004 and
(ii) 82 million shares representing 2.5% of the company’s
ordinary share capital on 27 January 2005, there have been
no significant changes in the percentage ownership of major
shareholders of the company’s ordinary and preference shares
during the three years ended 27 February 2006. All shareholders
within a class of the company’s shares have the same voting
rights. The company is not directly or indirectly owned or
controlled by another corporation or any foreign government.
At 27 February 2006, the directors of the company had options
to purchase a total of 1,583,566 ordinary shares of the company.
As at 31 December 2005, almost all of the company’s US$
denominated preference shares were held by shareholders
registered in the US. All other shares were predominantly held
by shareholders registered outside the US.