Société Générale's Retail Bank Offsets Choppy Markets
04 May 2016 - 6:16AM
Dow Jones News
By Noemie Bisserbe
PARIS--French bank Société Générale SA on Wednesday reported an
increase in first-quarter net profit, as a debt valuation
adjustment and a strong retail banking performance helped offset
lower trading revenue from choppy markets.
The Paris-based lender, France's third-largest listed bank by
assets, said net profit rose 6% to EUR924 million ($1.06 billion)
in the three months through March, from EUR868 million a year
earlier. Revenue was down 3% at EUR6.18 billion.
The bank booked a EUR145 million gain in the first quarter
because of an accounting rule that permits lenders to post paper
profit when the value of their own credit declines.
Société Générale also said Wednesday it would cut costs by
another EUR220 million at its investment bank by 2017, in addition
to ongoing restructuring efforts. The bank had already announced
cost cuts worth EUR323 million by 2017.
Société Générale's first-quarter earnings highlight the
progressive recovery of the European economy, as investment picks
up and loan defaults decline. As with French rival BNP Paribas SA,
higher retail banking revenue helped make up for a weak investment
banking business, hurt by sharp declines in securities trading amid
concerns about low energy prices and interest rates.
Its retail bank in France posted a net profit of EUR328 million,
up 18% from the same quarter last year, while net profit for its
international retail banking and financial services division more
than doubled to EUR300 million. In Russia, where Société Générale
owns one of the country's largest private lenders, Rosbank, it
posted an EUR18 million first-quarter loss compared with a EUR89
million loss a year ago.
However, its global banking and investor solution
business--which includes investment banking, security services and
asset management--posted a 15% drop in net profit to EUR454 million
in the first quarter from EUR532 million a year ago.
Overall profit growth this quarter enabled Société Générale to
continue to stockpile additional capital to meet strict new banking
regulation in Europe.
The bank said its core tier one ratio, which compares top
quality capital such as equity and retained earnings with
risk-weighted assets, stood at 11.1% in March, up from 10.9% in
December.
Société Générale has said it targeted a core tier one ratio of
11.5% to 12% by 2019.
The bank's leverage ratio, which measures capital held by the
bank against its total assets, was stable at 4% at the end of
March.
BNP Paribas, France's largest listed bank by assets, said
Tuesday first-quarter net profit rose 10% to EUR1.81 billion from
EUR1.65 billion a year ago. Crédit Agricole SA reports earnings on
May 12.
Write to Noemie Bisserbe at noemie.bisserbe@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 04, 2016 01:01 ET (05:01 GMT)
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