SBI Q2 net up 40%, but sees margins shrinking;ICICI Bank Q2 net up 1.1% at Rs 1014 cr

SBI Q2 net up 40%, but sees margins shrinking
SBI Q2 net up 40% at Rs 2260 cr

State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday reported a higher-than-expected net profit of Rs 2,259.7 crore for the quarter ended September 30, up 40.2%, from Rs 1,611.4 crore during the same quarter of the previous year. The results for the second quarter include the business of State Bank of Saurashtra which was merged with SBI in August 2008.

Shares of the bank were hit hard after the bank warned that net interest income had peaked and said that it raised provisions to Rs 911 crore from Rs 247 crore in the previous quarter because of the government's farm-loan waiver. The bank's chairman OP Bhatt said SBI's net interest margins would come down marginally, but would continue to be above 3%. The net interest margin for the second quarter was 3.2%. The bank's deposits grew by Rs 57,861 crore (67.9%) for the quarter, with the share of current and savings account growing 0.3% to 39.7%. Advances of the bank grew Rs 51,020 crore or 162.4%. In retail business, the bank's home loans grew 23.5%, auto loans by 30.48% and education loan by 43.81%. SBI Card, however, suffered a loss of Rs 27.9 crore for the quarter. The bank's capital adequacy ratio (CAR) as per Basel I norms is 12.14%, and as per Basel II norms it is 11.5%. "We are well above the prescribed norms for CAR and our capital adequacy would increase by 259 basis points once the borrower ratings of corporates are complete," Mr Bhatt said. Consolidated net profit grew 11.50% to Rs 2,458.04 crore for the second quarter against Rs 2,204.56 crore in the year-ago period, while the total income rose 26.41% to Rs 27,083.47 crore. For the six-month period ended September 30, SBI reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 4,138.06 crore against Rs 4,128 crore in the year-ago period. According to Mr Bhatt, interest rates have peaked and should soften in the coming months. "If you look at moderating inflation and (factor in) the steps taken by the Reserve Bank of India, interest rates should start showing the softening trend," he said. When asked about the SBI's likely steps on interest rates, Mr Bhatt said that the bank would rather follow the wait-and-watch policy. "Interest rates would depend on a cluster of decisions taken by the regulators," he said. Underlining the soundness of the Indian banking system, Mr Bhatt said that there are very few instances of people changing their accounts from private banks to public sector banks. "Total growth in the industry is Rs 2,40,000 crore," he said, adding that flight of capital from private to PSU banks, if at all, would not be more than 1% of the total business.
SBI to open 1,500 or more branches
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ICICI Bank Q2 net up 1.1% at Rs 1014 cr
Mumbai: ICICI Bank reported a 1.1 per cent rise in quarterly net profit, beating forecasts, as higher other income and lending rates offset investment losses and slowing credit growth.

The country's leading private-sector bank, which is also listed in New York, said July-September net profit was Rs 1014 crore ($203 million), up from Rs 1003 crore a year ago.

A Reuters poll of analysts had forecast a 2.3 per cent dip in net profit to Rs 980 crore for the fiscal second quarter.
Deposits are safe: ICICI Bank CEO
ICICI has borne the brunt of investor concerns about the Indian bank sector's exposure to the global financial crisis. Since the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers last month, it has repeatedly said it was well-capitalised and deposits were safe.

Earlier, shares in State Bank of India tumbled 13 per cent to 1-½ year lows on worries about bad debt provisions even after the country's largest bank beat forecasts with a more than 40 per cent rise in net profit.
State-run SBI, which raised $4.1 billion in a rights issue in March, said July-September net profit rose to Rs 2260 crore from Rs 1610 crore a year earlier. A Reuters poll of analysts had forecast fiscal second-quarter earnings of Rs 1870 crore.

Shares in ICICI fell 15 per cent in July-September, lagging the benchmark index's 4.5 per cent drop and the sector index's 9.5 per cent rise.
At Friday's close of Rs 310, ICICI shares were down 42 per cent in October.

Other income boosts ICICI net
ICICI Bank's insurance arm records loss of Rs 466 cr in H1
Expense cut helps ICICI report flat net, beat estimates
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Source:Sify,ET