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Leveraging Rabobank’s distribution power and growing its knowledge of real estate management willcontribute to growth in assets under management.Corporate social responsibilityOne of the cornerstones of Rabobank Group Strategic Framework is a high quality policy for corporate socialresponsibility (“CSR”). Within this scope, Rabobank continued to develop its CSR policy and activities in2009.EmployeesRabobank Group needs the right people to achieve its strategic goals. Rabobank invests in its employees, notjust in terms of their conditions of employment, but also by providing training, opportunities for growth andhealthcare, and helping employees achieve a good work/life balance. Rabobank Group’s workforce is aging,and in a changing and innovative environment such as Rabobank’s, it is vital that its employees are versatileand have the relevant skills. Rabobank also prioritises talent development, diversity and raising awareness ofCSR among its employees.For the year ended 31 December 2008, the rate of absenteeism was 3.8 per cent. and Rabobank’s employeesatisfaction score was 86 per cent. according to internal surveys. At 30 June 2009, Rabobank Group employed60,490 full-time employees.CompetitionRabobank Group competes in the Netherlands with several other large commercial banks and financialinstitutions, such as ABN AMRO, Fortis Nederland, ING Group and SNS Reaal and also with smallerfinancial institutions in specific markets. Over the last few years, banks have increased their emphasis on thecredit quality of borrowers. This emphasis, combined with the deregulation of capital markets, has increasedcompetition among banks in the Netherlands significantly. In addition, life insurance companies and pensionfunds in the Netherlands have become major competitors in the markets for residential mortgage loans andprivate savings. In 2008, several large commercial banks and financial institutions in the Netherlands,including ABN AMRO, Fortis Nederland, ING Group and SNS Reaal, received financial support from theDutch government. This may affect the competitive environment in which Rabobank Group operates in theNetherlands and Management expects competition in the Dutch savings market to continue in 2009.The Dutch mortgage loan market is highly competitive. Driven by the tax deductibility of mortgage loaninterest payments, Dutch homeowners usually take out relatively high mortgage loans. This does notnecessarily indicate a high risk for banks with mortgage-lending operations. As at 31 December 2008,Rabobank had a balanced mortgage loan portfolio with a weighted loan-to-value of approximately 60 per cent.Historically, mortgage lending in the Netherlands has been relatively low risk and all mortgage loans arecollateralised. Mortgage loan defaults do not occur frequently, either in Rabobank Group’s mortgage lendingoperations or in the Netherlands generally. Almost all mortgages in the Netherlands have a maturity of 30years. Generally, mortgages have a long-term (greater than five years) fixed interest rate, after which periodthe rate is reset at the current market rate. Customers generally do not have the option to prepay on theirmortgage loan without incurring a penalty fee, thus reducing the interest rate risks related to mortgage loanrefinancing for Rabobank Group.Market shares in the NetherlandsSet forth below is information regarding Rabobank Group’s shares in selected markets. The percentages ofmarket share should be read as percentages of the relevant Dutch market as a whole.247