Finacity and NORD/LB Announce an Increase to $100 Million of a Receivable Securitization for Alliance One International, Inc.


NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - April 1, 2008) - Finacity Corporation ("Finacity") announced today that together with Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale ("NORD/LB") it has facilitated an amendment to a trade receivable securitization facility for Alliance One International, Inc. (NYSE: AOI). The amendment increases the facility to $100 million, improves pricing and extends the maturity 3.5 years to March 2013. A Finacity owned Special Purpose Entity ("SPE") purchases receivables from the sale of agricultural commodities to both non-OECD and OECD domiciled customers in approximately 80 countries. The Finacity SPE is expected to provide AOI with risk-mitigated monetization through the ongoing securitization of trade receivables generated by Swiss-based AOI AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of AOI.

AOI's treasurer Joel Thomas: "We are very pleased with the upsize of this innovative structure, which is in line with AOI's strategic financial goals. Through a sale structure the transaction puts to use strong AOI assets, and offers the Company an additional opportunity to utilize the capital markets at attractive pricing levels, while further de-leveraging our balance sheet. The modified structure also offers AOI an improved liquidity source, enhancing our financial flexibility."

"We are very proud to have served AOI in a complex cross-border commodity transaction designed to maximize liquidity and minimize cost-of-funds, while removing the ongoing administrative burden to our client AOI," said Adrian Katz, CEO at Finacity.

"Nord/LB is delighted to have partnered with Finacity to provide AOI a competitive enhanced source of liquidity with this transaction," said Omar Bolli, head of securitization at NORD/LB.

Alliance One International, Inc. is headquartered in North Carolina and engages in the purchase, processing, storage, and sale of leaf tobacco around the world. The company offers its products to manufacturers of consumer tobacco products and was founded in 1904. For more information about AOI please visit www.aointl.com.

NORD/LB ranks as number 50 among the world's banks. In the U.S. it specializes in securitization and other structured transactions for corporate clients from its base in New York. For more information about NORD/LB please visit www.nordlbnewyork.com.

Finacity Corporation is a company that specializes in providing efficient capital markets receivables funding programs, and state-of-the-art servicing and collections. Finacity is located in the USA and Europe. For more information about Finacity, please visit www.finacity.com.

Contact Information: For more information on this transaction please contact: Thomas Heslenfeld SVP, Finacity Corporation Tel 203-428-3519 (USA) OR Edward Weber Senior Director, NORD/LB Tel 212-812-6949 (USA)