The unaudited consolidated net profits of the Alpha Group of banks reached $1.2bn in the first nine months of 2012, constituting an increase of 7.3% from the same period last year. The Alpha Group consists of 12 banks with deposits in excess of $2bn each. Total net operating income rose by 10.5% to $3.1bn, with aggregate net interest income increasing by 14.6% to $2.1bn and net fees & commissions receipts growing by 4% to $533.5m year-on-year.
Also, non-interest income accounted for 36.4% of total income in the first nine months of the year, up from 34% in the same period last year; with net fees & commissions earnings representing 43.4% of non-interest income in the first nine months of 2012, down from 51.7% in the same period last year.
The net interest spread rose to 1.96% in the first nine months of 2012 from 1.9% in the same period last year. Also, total operating expenditures increased by 13.3% year-onyear to $1.6bn, with staff expenses rising by 11.3% to $882.7m. Further, the cost-to-income ratio dropped to 47.6% in the first nine months relative to 48.8% in the same period last year. The banks' total assets reached $149.6bn at end-September 2012, constituting a 4.4% growth from end-2011; while aggregate loans & advances rose by 6.4% from end-2011 to $42.1bn at end-September. Also, customer deposits totaled $122.5bn at end-September 2012, a rise of 4.7% from end-2011.
In parallel, the banks' loans-to-assets ratio increased to 28.8% at end-September 2012 from 28.7% a year earlier, while the loans-todeposits ratio declined marginally to 34.47% at end-September 2012 from 34.54% a year earlier. The ratio of loans-to-deposits in local currency reached 19.1% at end-September 2012 compared to 18.2% at end-September 2011, while that in foreign currency was 41.5% at the end of September 2012 relative to 41.6% a year earlier.
Also, the banks' return on average assets reached 1.11% in September 2012 on an annualized basis, relative to 1.15% a year earlier; while their return on average equity was 13.12% on an annualized basis relative to 13.21% in September 2011. Further, the primary liquidity-to-deposits ratio reached 37% at end-September 2012, up from
34.7% at end-September 2011.
The banks' aggregate equity-to-assets ratio rose to 8.4% at end-September 2012 compared to 8% a year earlier. Also, the collective provisions-to-net loans ratio increased to 1.2% at end-September 2012 from 0.8% at end-September 2011.
Lebanon This Week – Byblos Bank Research
12 December
