Close Bros Regulatory News (CBG)

TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are attached:

Close Brothers Group plc

2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):

An acquisition or disposal of voting rights

X

An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached

An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to qualifying financial instruments

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights

Other (please specify):

3. Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation:

Lloyds Banking Group plc

4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.):

See Section 9.

5. Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or reached:

11 May 2011

6. Date on which issuer notified:

12 May 2011

7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached:

Direct / Indirect holdings increased to above 10%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to shares

Class/type ofshares

if possible usingthe ISIN CODE

Situation previousto the triggeringtransaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

NumberofShares

NumberofVotingRights

Numberof shares

Number of votingrights

% of voting rights

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Ord 25p Shares

13,327,559

13,327,559

1,914,936

1,914,936

12,962,709

1.319%

8.932%

GB0007668071

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Expirationdate

Exercise/ConversionPeriod

Number of votingrights that may beacquired if theinstrument isexercised/ converted.

% of votingrights

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Exerciseprice

Expirationdate

Exercise/Conversionperiod

Number of votingrights instrumentrefers to

% of voting rights

Nominal

Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

14,877,645

10.251%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or thefinancial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:

14,753,589 shares (10.166%) are under the control of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership Group Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scottish Widows Group Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lloyds TSB Bank plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group plc (Direct / Indirect Interests).

Within these holdings, 1,495,195 shares (1.030%) are managed on behalf of Clerical Medical Managed Funds Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clerical Medical Investment Group Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of HBOS Financial Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of HBOS plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lloyds TSB Bank plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group plc. These holdings are therefore disclosed as an overall Direct Interest.

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of the proxy holder:

N/A

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold:

N/A

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights:

N/A

13. Additional information:

Notification using the Total Voting Rights figure of 145,132,132

14. Contact name:

John Hudspith

Assistant Company Secretary

Close Brothers Group plc

15. Contact telephone number:

0207 655 3100