Rule 8.3- Billing Services Gr

2 Feb 2006 11:45

Merrill Lynch Investment ManagersLd02 February 2006 FORM 8.3 DEALINGS BY PERSONS WITH INTERESTS IN SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE (Rule 8.3 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers) 1. KEY INFORMATION Name of person dealing (Note 1) Merrill Lynch Investment Managers Group Limited Company dealt in Billing Services Group Limited Class of relevant security to which the Common STK USD1dealings being disclosed relate (Note 2) Date of dealing 1st February 2006 2. INTERESTS, SHORT POSITIONS AND RIGHTS TO SUBSCRIBE (a) Interests and short positions (following dealing) in the class of relevant security dealt in (Note 3) Long Short Number (%) Number (%)(1) Relevant securities 21,335,856 8.38%(2) Derivatives (other than options) 1,000,120 0.39% -58,750 0.02%(3) Options and agreements to purchase/sellTotal 22,335,976 8.77% -58,750 0.02% (b) Interests and short positions in relevant securities of the company, other than the class dealt in (Note 3) Class of relevant security: Long Short Number (%) Number (%)(1) Relevant securities(2) Derivatives (other than options)(3) Options and agreements to purchase/sellTotal (c) Rights to subscribe (Note 3) Class of relevant security: Details 3. DEALINGS (Note 4) (a) Purchases and sales Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit (Note 5) Sale 176,250 88p (b) Derivatives transactions (other than options) Product name, e.g. Long/short (Note 6) Number of securities (Note 7) Price per unit (Note 5)CFD CFD Short -58,750 87.82p (c) Options transactions in respect of existing securities (i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying Product name,e.g. Writing, Number of Exercise Type, e.g. Expiry Option moneypaidcall option selling, securities to which price American, date /received per purchasing, the option relates European etc. unit (Note 5) varying etc. (Note 7) (ii) Exercising Product name, e.g. call option Number of securities Exercise price per unit (Note 5) (d) Other dealings (including new securities) (Note 4) Nature of transaction (Note 8) Details Price per unit (if applicable) (Note 5) 4. OTHER INFORMATION Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives Full details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding between the persondisclosing and any other person relating to the voting rights of any relevantsecurities under any option referred to on this form or relating to the votingrights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which anyderivative referred to on this form is referenced. If none, this should bestated. None........................................................................... .............................................................................. Is a Supplemental Form 8 attached? (Note 9) NO Date of disclosure 2nd February Contact name Thomas Hone Telephone number 020 7964 7492 If a connected EFM, name of offeree/offeror with which N/Aconnected If a connected EFM, state nature of connection (Note 10) N/A Notes The Notes on Form 8.3 can be viewed on the Takeover Panel's website atwww.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange