Chancellor of the Exchequer Gerorge Osborne Celebrates Metro Bank's Rapid Growth in Colleague Numbers

Metro Bank, Britain's revolutionary high street bank, today announces that it has created 1,700 new careers since its launch in 2010 and plans to employ a total of 5,000 colleagues by the end of 2020, as part of its wider expansion plans.

As the bank continues to grow, it has created hundreds of jobs in the communities it serves, with over 500 new roles created in 2014 and with plans to hire over 500 more new colleagues over the course of this year alone. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne today visited Metro Bank's store in Kingston-upon-Thames and met with colleagues to discuss future plans for the bank.

The Right Honourable, George Osborne commented: "It is great to see Metro Bank expanding, not just opening new stores, but also creating 3,300 new jobs up and down the country.

"This is our long term economic plan in action, giving customers more choice in how they bank on the high street, and creating new jobs and new opportunities for families."

Craig Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer at Metro Bank said: "We're delighted to welcome the Chancellor to our Kingston store.

"From the very start, providing employment opportunities for local people in the communities we serve has been absolutely central to our model. We are extremely proud not only of the number of jobs we have created, but the fact that we will continue to create more opportunities as we continue to open more stores and create more fans. At Metro Bank we pride ourselves on recruiting for attitude and training for skill, and will continue to invest in the careers of our colleagues as the bank grows."

The announcement comes at an important time for Metro Bank, which has recently opened new stores in Brighton, Cambridge and Southend, and plans to open a further seven stores before the end of the year.

Metro Bank, which has 34 stores across London and the South East, is focused on providing unparalleled levels of service and convenience to customers. Metro Bank recently announced a strong set of full year results, which included a 118% year on year growth in deposits to £2,867 million, of which 64% were to business customers. Lending also more than doubled over 2014, reaching £1,597 million, an increase of 112% year on year – of which business lending made up 45%.

ENDS

Metro Bank offers customers:

Retail banking:

• 7 day a week store banking (8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm Saturday, 11am-5pm Sunday and bank holidays), 362 days of the year
• The ultimate in new account opening convenience, with a rapid opening procedure and on the spot bank cards and cheque books*
• Free coin counting at every store, for customers and non-customers alike, with the Metro Bank Magic Money Machine™
• A friendly welcome to dogs and their owners, with water bowls and dog biscuits on hand for man's best friend - dogs rule at Metro Bank!

Business banking:

• The bank for entrepreneurs: Metro Bank offers tailored business banking services including a full range of lending and cash management solutions

Private banking:

• Private by name, personal by nature: Metro Bank Private Banking provides bespoke banking solutions for customers' personal and commercial interests

For more information, please contact:

Deborah Lewis

Metro Bank

020 3427 1485

pressoffice@metrobank.plc.uk

About Metro Bank

Metro Bank operates retail hours, not banking hours. It is open seven days a week (8am- 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm Saturday, 11am - 5pm Sunday and bank holidays), every day of the year apart from Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Metro Bank PLC. Registered in England and Wales. Company number: 6419578. Registered office: One Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5HA. 'Metrobank' is the registered trade mark of Metro Bank PLC.

We're authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Most relevant deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. For further information about the Scheme refer to the FSCS website www.fscs.org.uk.

All Metro Bank products are subject to status and approval.

Metro Bank PLC is an independent UK bank - it is not affiliated with any other bank or organisation (including the METRO newspaper or its publishers) anywhere in the world. Please refer to Metro Bank using the full name.