VANCOUVER, B.C., TORONTO, CHICAGO and NEW YORK, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Computershare Ltd. announced today that it will acquire Vancouver- based Pacific Corporate Trust Company. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by the end of May 2005.

Pacific Corporate Trust Company is a privately owned supplier of stock transfer services, primarily in British Columbia. It has developed a strong business providing a full range of services complemented by an advanced, web- enabled client interface, primarily serving small and mid cap companies. Pacific Corporate Trust Company services clients listed on the TSX, the TSX Venture Exchange, AMEX and NASDAQ. It is the largest regional transfer agent in Canada with more than 600 clients -- approximately 15% of Canada's public equity issuers.

The founders of Pacific Corporate Trust Company -- John Halse and Stephanie Halse -- will continue with Pacific Corporate Trust Company as consultants to supply services related to the transition of the business and client relationships. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Computershare Trust Company of Canada and by the major shareholders of Pacific Corporate Trust Company.

"Computershare is committed to providing exceptional service and unique solutions to both large and small clients across North America," said Steve Rothbloom, President & CEO, Computershare North America.

"Our interest in acquiring Pacific Corporate Trust Company is based on the desire to expand and bolster Computershare's business in serving small and mid cap issuers by utilizing Pacific Corporate Trust Company's people, processes, technology and approach to client service," added Wayne Newling, President of Computershare Canada.

John Halse, President of Pacific Corporate Trust Company, noted, "Joining with Computershare will provide our clients with access to Computershare's global resources and expertise while maintaining the same business model that has served our clients well in the past. It also provides our people with the opportunity to advance their careers in a dynamic organization. I look forward to working with the Computershare and Pacific Corporate Trust Company team to continue our efforts to provide outstanding client service."

About Pacific Corporate Trust Company

Pacific Corporate Trust Company has provided security transfer services for more than twenty years and is recognized as a leader in serving the needs of venture corporations who issue publicly traded securities. Founded in 1981 as Pacific Corporate Services Limited, the company re-incorporated as a trust company in 1990.

In 1996, Pacific Corporate Trust Company expanded to Ontario through the creation of a Co-Agency branch in Toronto and initiated services to the TSX issuer market through its operating subsidiary, Pacific Corporate Services Ltd. For more information, please visit http://www.pctc.com/ .

About Computershare

Computershare is the world's leading financial services and technology provider to the global securities industry in its provision of services and solutions to listed companies, investors, employees, exchanges and other financial institutions.

With a unique range of integrated services, Computershare provides specialized records management for company share registers and employee share and stock option plans, document design and communication, strategic investor relations and market intelligence, and a variety of sophisticated trading technologies for financial markets.

Computershare is the largest and only provider of global shareholder and employee management services-administering more than 70 million shareholder accounts for over 13,000 corporations across twelve countries on five continents. Founded in Australia in 1978, Computershare today employs almost 8,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.computershare.com/ .

CONTACT: Wayne Newling, President, Computershare Canada,
+1-416-263-9201, wayne.newling@computershare.com , or John Halse, President,
Pacific Corporate Trust Company, +1-604-691-7373, jhalse@pctc.com , or Juli
Bark, EVP, Marketing and Strategic Development, Computershare, North America,
+1-312-588-4249, juli.bark@computershare.com

Web site: http://www.computershare.com/
http://www.pctc.com/