2 January 2008. M&A International Inc. member office in Ireland, IBI Corporate Finance, has been ranked as the No.  1 corporate finance adviser in Ireland by Mergermarket, the independent M&A intelligence provider, in its annual survey of corporate finance activity, published today.

IBI topped the league table for the number of transactions on which it advised with a total of 14 qualifying deals in 2007.  The 14 deals had a total collective value of over euro 790 million.  The company was also ranked top in 2006 and 2005 with 19 and 14 qualifying deals respectively.

The league tables rank the top ten domestic and international investment banks and corporate finance firms according to the number of announced M&A transactions in which they were involved during 2007.  Transactions included for the purpose of the tables are those with a value over euro 5 million.

Commenting on the figures, Róisín Brennan, Chief Executive, said: "This is the third year running in which IBI Corporate Finance has topped this table and it underlines our position at the forefront of the corporate finance market in Ireland.  Deal volume remained high throughout 2007 despite changing economic conditions during the year.  Clearly, 2008 will be a more challenging market for corporate finance given the more cautious economic outlook in Ireland and the tighter international debt markets.  However, it’s likely that these changed circumstances will also create opportunities, particularly for companies with strong balance sheets, and we expect the market to remain strong through the year."

Ray Gordon 
MRPA KINMAN Communications
Tel: 353 1 678 8330
Mob: 087 241 7373

About IBI Corporate Finance

IBI Corporate Finance is Ireland’s leading corporate finance adviser, providing expert, independent advice. It acts for public, private and semi-state companies, covering a wide spectrum of domestic and international transactions. IBI Corporate Finance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank of Ireland Group. www.ibicf.ie

About Mergermarket

Through a network of analysts, Mergermarket covers corporate finance activity in Europe and North America. Mergermarket generates proprietary intelligence and delivers it, together with daily aggregated content, on its www.mergermarket.com platform to subscribers.

About M&A International Inc.

M&A International Inc. specializes in merger and acquisition engagements around the globe. Our team has over 500 advisors in 41 member firms located in 39 countries. In 2007, our professionals closed over 380 transactions worth more than $21 billion.  www.mergers.net