IntercontinentalExchange Responds To Chicago Board Of Trade Announcement

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement by CBOT Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BOT) that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to begin discussions and exchange information with ICE about ICE's previously announced proposal to combine with CBOT.

“We are pleased that the CBOT Board has determined that ICE’s proposal is or could reasonably be expected to lead to a superior proposal, which enables CBOT to begin discussions and exchange information with us,” said Jeffrey C. Sprecher, Chairman and CEO of ICE. “We look forward to meeting with CBOT’s management and advisors to begin the due diligence process. As we previously said, we are confident we can complete our review and be in a position to execute a definitive agreement within a week.”

In light of CBOT’s decision to engage in discussions, ICE’s informational meeting for CBOT members scheduled for Wednesday, March 21, will not be held at this time.

Additional Information
More information about the ICE proposal is available on the ICE website at www.theice.com under About ICE/Investor Resources and at www.theicecbot.com.