Letter to shareholders

UBS recorded a net loss attributable to shareholders of CHF 21.3 billion in 2008. This extremely poor result stemmed primarily from the results of the fixed income trading business of the Investment Bank, mainly due to losses and writedowns on exposures related to US real estate and other credit positions. The loss has affected all stakeholders in UBS: in 2008, in US dollar terms, shareholders suffered a 58% fall in market capitalization, compared with the average 47% decline of the other members of the Dow Jones Banks Titans 30 Index; the total number of employees was reduced by 7%; and employee compensation was cut 36%. Clients have, understandably, expressed to us their disappointment about our losses, while at the same time stressing their appreciation for the advice and service levels they receive from their advisors.

For financial markets as a whole, 2008 was an extraordinary year in economic and financial history: world stock markets fell 42% (the MSCI world index), interest rates reached the lowest levels ever in the US and the UK, and a major investment bank failed. Responses to the crisis included the injection of new capital into many of the world’s major financial institutions by governments. With hindsight, it is clear that UBS was not prepared for this. Our balance sheet was too large and the systems of risk control and risk management that should have limited our exposure failed. We placed too much emphasis on growth and not enough on controlling risks and costs, particularly in regards to our compensation systems, performance targets and indicators and executive governance structures. Imponderable levels of cross- subsidy and confusion about accountability resulted from complex relationships between our business divisions.

In 2008, we focused on addressing our structural and strategic weaknesses and on establishing the long-term financial stability of UBS.
Activities centered on the key areas we identified as requiring change: corporate governance, risk management and control processes, the liquidity and funding framework and management compensation. As a result, 2008 saw the introduction of new organization regulations to clarify the responsibilities of the Board of Directors (BoD) and the Group Executive Board (GEB), the establishment of an Executive Committee (EC) to allocate and monitor the use of capital and risk in each of the business divisions, and the formation of a dedicated BoD risk committee. We also merged the credit and market risk functions of the Investment Bank into a single unit led by the newly established Chief Risk Officer position and a new liquidity and funding framework was introduced that requires each business division to be charged marketbased rates for funding from other UBS divisions. We will continue to make changes in 2009, including the implementation of a new compensation model for senior executives that aligns compensation with the creation of sustainable results for shareholders. In addition, management compensation within business divisions will be based largely on divisional results and the responsible and independent management of each division’s resources and balance sheet.

Changes in our business divisions will play a vital role in the transformation of our firm.
As announced on 10 February 2009, UBS now operates with four business divisions and a Corporate Center. The former Global Wealth Management & Business Banking division has been split into two business divisions: Wealth Management & Swiss Bank and Wealth Management Americas. We will continue to reposition the Investment Bank as a client-orientated and fee- and commission- earning business – in other words, the Investment Bank is moving away from the proprietary trading business that adversely affected our capital. A new unit has been established within the Investment Bank to manage the positions of those fixed income businesses we have decided to exit.

We took active steps to increase the financial stability of UBS in 2008.
The issuance of two Mandatory Convertible Notes (MCNs) and a rights issue raised CHF 34.6 billion of new capital. During the year, our total balance sheet was reduced 11% to CHF 2,015 billion, risk-weighted assets fell 19% to CHF 302.3 billion and our identified risk concentrations fell sharply – with these reductions assisted by an agreement made in 2008 to sell a large portfolio of illiquid securities and other positions to a fund owned and controlled by the Swiss National Bank. Operating expenses fell 19% and the year-end tier 1 ratio was 11.0%, compared with 9.1% for year-end 2007 under the different standards that were then applicable under Basel I.

As announced on 18 February 2009, UBS settled a US cross-border case with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by entering into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the DOJ and a Consent Order with the SEC.
As part of these agreements, we will complete our previously announced exit of our US cross-border business and implement an enhanced program of internal controls to ensure compliance with the Qualified Intermediary Agreement with the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, pursuant to an order issued by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, information was transferred to the DOJ regarding accounts of certain US clients as set forth in the DPA, who, based on evidence available to UBS, committed tax fraud or the like within the meaning of the Swiss-US Double Taxation Treaty. The total cost for the settlement of USD 780 million has been fully charged to our 2008 results. This episode makes it particularly clear that our control framework must be extremely robust and that employee incentives must be aligned with risk management and control and the creation of long-term value for shareholders.

Outlook
The recent worsening of financial conditions and UBS-specific factors have adversely affected our results, particularly in the Investment Bank. Even after substantial risk reduction, our balance sheet remains exposed to illiquid and volatile markets and our earnings will therefore remain at risk for some time to come. Net new money remains positive for our Wealth Management Americas division, but this is being partially offset by net outflows in Wealth Management & Swiss Bank. Global Asset Management has also experienced further net outflows. More generally, financial market conditions remain fragile as company and household cash flows continue to deteriorate, notwithstanding the very substantial measures governments are taking to ease fiscal and monetary conditions. Our near-term outlook remains extremely cautious. For 2009, we will continue to implement our program to strengthen our financial position by reducing our risk positions, our overall balance sheet size, and our operating costs. Management will also focus on securing and building the firm’s core client businesses and on returning the Group as soon as possible to a sustainable level of overall profitability.

11 March 2009