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Capital Desjardins announces a $500 million issue of 5.541% series F senior notes due 2021

Lévis (Québec), May 27, 2009 – Capital Desjardins inc. announced yesterday an issuance of $500 million of 5.541% Series F Senior Notes due 2021. This $500 million issuance of senior notes is the second to be made by Capital Desjardins under the terms of a base shelf prospectus dated June 30, 2008, which provides for the issuance of a maximum of $2 billion of senior notes.

A pricing supplement relating to this issue has been filed yesterday with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces in Canada and is available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com under Capital Desjardins' profile. The issuance of senior notes announced today is scheduled to close on June 1, 2009. The senior notes shall be dated as of June 1, 2009 and shall mature on June 1, 2021. The senior notes shall bear interest at the rate of 5.541% per annum, payable in arrears in equal semi-annual payments for the first seven (7) years. From June 1, 2016 until June 1, 2021, interest on the senior notes will be payable at a rate per annum equal to the 90-day Bankers' Acceptance Rate plus 3.88%, payable quarterly in arrears.

Desjardins Securities Inc., BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., Scotia Capital Inc., TD Securities Inc., CIBC World Markets Inc., National Bank Financial Inc., RBC Dominion Securities Inc., Casgrain & Company Limited, HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc. and Laurentian Bank Securities Inc. will be acting as agents with respect to the offering of senior notes.

Gross proceeds resulting from the issuance of the senior notes will be invested in subordinated notes to be issued by the Desjardins caisses. Such amounts will improve the capital base of the Desjardins caisses and will be used for their general purposes.

The senior notes have been rated A+ by Standard & Poor's, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Aa2 by Moody's Investors Services, Inc. and AA (low) by DBRS Limited.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy securities in any province, state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such province, state or jurisdiction.

The senior notes have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or delivered, directly or indirectly, or sold in the United States absent an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Capital Desjardins

Capital Desjardins, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, was established in 1995. Its purpose is to offer its own securities in the financial markets and to invest the proceeds in securities issued by Desjardins caisses. When caisses need capital, they do business with Capital Desjardins, which acts as a bridge between the Desjardins caisses and institutional investors by consolidating the securities they issue.

About Desjardins Group

Desjardins Group is the largest integrated cooperative financial group in Canada, with overall assets of close to $160 billion, as at March 31, 2009. It comprises a network of caisses, credit unions and business centres in Québec and Ontario, and some twenty subsidiary companies in life and general insurance, securities brokerage, venture capital and asset management, many of which are active across the country. Drawing on the expertise of its 42,000 employees and the commitment of its 6,300 elected officers, Desjardins offers its 5.8 million individual and corporate members and clients a full range of financial products and services. Its physical distribution network is complemented by leading-edge virtual access methods. To find out more, consult www.desjardins.com.

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Source (for journalists only):
André Chapleau
Director, Information and Media Relations
Desjardins Group
514-281-7229 or 1-866-866-7000, ext. 7229