Power Financial Corporation - Investment in Great-West Lifeco

Readers are referred to the section entitled "Forward-Looking Statements" at the end of this release.

MONTREAL, Feb. 19, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Power Financial Corporation's (TSX: PWF) subsidiary, Great-West Lifeco Inc. ("Lifeco"), today announced that it has reached an agreement with the Government of Ireland to acquire all of the shares of Irish Life Group Limited for $1.75 billion (€1.3 billion). Established in 1939, Irish Life is the largest life and pensions group and investment manager in Ireland. The acquisition is transformational for the Lifeco companies in Ireland. Lifeco achieves, with a single transaction, the leading position in life insurance, pensions and investment management, which is consistent with Lifeco's global business strategy of developing significant market positions in the sectors where the company participates.

Lifeco also announced a $1.25 billion offering of subscription receipts exchangeable into common shares by way of a $650 million public bought deal offering as well as concurrent private placements of subscription receipts for an amount of $600 million.

Power Financial has agreed to purchase $550 million of Lifeco subscription receipts. Power Financial's subsidiary IGM Financial Inc. has also agreed to purchase $50 million of Lifeco subscription receipts.  Each subscription receipt will entitle the holder to receive one common share of Lifeco upon closing of the acquisition of Irish Life, without any action on the part of the holder and without payment of additional consideration. Power Financial and IGM Financial will complete the purchase of subscription receipts by private placements concurrently with the closing of the bought deal public offering of Lifeco's subscription receipts. The public offering and private placements of subscription receipts will be made at the same price of $25.70 per subscription receipt. The public offering is conditional on closing of the private placement financings and the private placement financings are conditional on closing of the public offering; both closings are expected to occur on March 12, 2013 and are subject to TSX approval.

Should each of the public offering and private placement financings be completed and the subscription receipts converted into common shares of Lifeco, Power Financial will hold, directly and indirectly, a 69.4% economic interest in Lifeco.

Power Financial Corporation is a diversified management and holding company that has interests, directly or indirectly, in companies in the financial services sector in Canada, the United States and Europe. It also has substantial holdings in a diversified industrial group based in Europe. Power Financial Corporation is a member of the Power Corporation group of companies.

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Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this News Release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements based on certain assumptions and reflect the Corporation's current expectations, or with respect to disclosure regarding the Corporation's public subsidiaries, reflect such subsidiaries' disclosed current expectations. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Corporation's financial performance, financial position and cash flows as at and for the periods ended on certain dates and to present information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future and the reader is cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. These statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of the Corporation and its subsidiaries, as well as the outlook for North American and international economies for the current fiscal year and subsequent periods. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or include words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "seeks", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "may", "will", "should", "would" and "could".

By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond the Corporation's and its subsidiaries' control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Corporation and its subsidiaries and their businesses, and could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations of estimated or anticipated events or results. These factors include, but are not limited to: the impact or unanticipated impact of general economic, political and market factors in North America and internationally, interest and foreign exchange rates, global equity and capital markets, management of market liquidity and funding risks, changes in accounting policies and methods used to report financial condition (including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates), the effect of applying future accounting changes, business competition, operational and reputational risks, technological change, changes in government regulation and legislation, changes in tax laws, unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings, catastrophic events, the Corporation's and its subsidiaries' ability to complete strategic transactions, integrate acquisitions and implement other growth strategies, and the Corporation's and its subsidiaries' success in anticipating and managing the foregoing factors.

The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Information contained in forward-looking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances, including that the list of factors in the prior paragraph, collectively, are not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation and its subsidiaries. While the Corporation considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to management, they may prove to be incorrect.

Other than as specifically required by applicable Canadian law, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.

Additional information about the risks and uncertainties of the Corporation's business and material factors or assumptions on which information contained in forward-looking statements is based is provided in its disclosure materials, including its most recent Management's Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: POWER FINANCIAL CORPORATION