DZ BANK Group reports all-time high profit before taxes of € 2.2 billion

  • The DZ BANK Group’s profit before taxes increased 68.5 per cent to an all-time high of € 2.2 billion
  • Good operating performance throughout the entire DZ BANK Group
  • Positive earnings effect due to reversals of impairment losses in DG HYP’s portfolio of bonds issued by euro-area periphery states
  • Core tier 1 capital ratio of 9.2 per cent at the end of the year – 8.6 per cent after the first implementation step of Basel III / CRR as at 1.1.2014
  • Dividend proposal of 13 cents per share
  • Encouraging start made in FY 2014
  • Wolfgang Kirsch: “Meeting regulatory challenges on stable foundations“

Frankfurt am Main, 5-5-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — In the 2013 financial year the DZ BANK Group increased its earnings significantly again, thus charting a new high in the banking group’s history. The preliminary figures according to IFRS show profit before taxes of € 2.22 billion. This corresponds to an increase of 68.5 per cent on the year-earlier figure (2012: € 1.32 billion). “The stable operating income trend throughout the entire DZ BANK Group forms the foundation for this strong result. All units reported a good business performance“, says Wolfgang Kirsch, CEO of DZ BANK AG. “The level of this result also reflects the abatement of the European sovereign debt crisis. But this good result is above all a reflection of the inherent profitability of our business model. In 2013 we also showed that we are able to carry out banking business as a reliable partner for the real economy on a sustainable and successful basis“.

Thanks to its positive earnings performance and corresponding earnings retention, the DZ BANK Group was able to improve its capitalisation yet further. At the end of 2013 the core tier 1 capital ratio initially stood at 9.2 per cent. After the first implementation step of Basel III and the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) as at 1.1.2014, the ratio would reach 8.6 per cent. Besides earnings retention, careful management of risk assets and a sharper business focus contributed to this. “We scored gratifying successes as regards strengthening our capital base. As things stand, our core tier 1 capital ratio is above the Basel III requirements and also above the minimum eight per cent called for in the Asset Quality Review”, added Kirsch.

The DZ BANK Group’s results

DZ BANK AG can again look back on a good financial year, especially in Corporate Banking. Above all, the joint marketing activities with the cooperative financial network were successful. DZ BANK’s lending volume of € 26.5 billion in the corporate customer lending business matched the previous year’s already high level (€ 26.3 billion). In the Export Finance business the volume of new loans increased by 19 per cent. The bank was able to increase its customer count in the large and medium-sized company segment by seven per cent. DZ BANK also reported a good performance in Transaction Banking. The number of payment transactions rose by 5.8 per cent to a new record of 4.5 billion. Despite the challenging low-interest-rate environment, the capital market business, which was geared even more systematically towards business with the cooperative banks, reported a solid performance. For example, the volume of primary market business with German issuers increased further. In the retail banking segment, investors’ on-going uncertainty was reflected in a slight decline in sales of structured products from € 4.3 billion in the previous year to € 4.0 billion. But DZ BANK was able to strengthen its market position in exchange-traded products, cementing its number three position in the market by increasing its market share to 8.0 per cent (previous year: 7.1 per cent).

Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall again chalked up another record in its new business in 2013, signing home-savings contracts with a total volume of € 36.0 billion (+ 9.6 per cent). Hence the building society further cemented its market leadership by increasing its market share from 30.2 per cent to 32.3 per cent.

Union Investment reported net inflows totalling € 10.1 billion and increased its assets under management as at 31.12.2013 by 8.2 per cent to € 206.2 billion (31.12.2012: € 190.5 billion). In the institutional clients business it reported net sales of € 6.4 billion, in retail banking of € 3.7 billion. Its pension-provision product, UniProfiRente, reported particularly strong inflows, with the volume of existing business increasing by around one quarter to € 9.6 billion.

R+V Versicherung increased its premiums earned in the insurance business by 7.7 per cent to € 12.7 billion, with growth reported in the life/health insurance segment (+12.1 per cent) and in the property and casualty insurance segment (+4.3 per cent). This contrasted with a 5.4 per cent increase in insurance benefits payments, due especially to large claims for damage caused by storms and flooding.

TeamBank increased the volume of lending in its consumer finance product easyCredit by 5.4 per cent to € 6.6 billion, and improved its customer-count by 5.1 per cent to 621,000.

DZ PRIVATBANK again attracted gross fresh money of approximately € 2 billion within the framework of its marketing initiative in Germany. Assets under management as at reporting date totalled € 13.5 billion and thus matched the year-earlier level. The assets under custody reached € 76.8 bn after € 70.8 bn in 2012.

DG HYP again affirmed its leading market position in the commercial property finance business. New business in the domestic commercial property business amounted to € 5.3 billion. DG HYP was able to increase the volume of new loans in its joint lending business with the cooperative banks by 30.2 per cent to € 2.9 billion.

VR LEASING’s restructuring is proceeding according to plan and the company reported a positive result in the double-digit millions for the past FY. Thanks to its focus on the German market it was able to increase its net interest income in Germany. Risk provisioning was reduced significantly, especially in Eastern Europe.

Income statement positions in detail

The DZ BANK Group’s net interest income declined 4.4 per cent to € 3.12 billion. The growth in net interest income at DG HYP and TeamBank was offset by – among other things – a market-induced decline in the liquidity-management result in DZ BANK AG.

Allowances for losses on loans and advances increased slightly compared to the previous year, up 2.5 per cent to -€ 540 million, thus remaining within a normal range.

Net fee and commission income grew thanks especially to a very good business performance at Union Investment, increasing 7.8 per cent to € 1.1 billion.

Gains and losses on trading activities declined 77.5 per cent to € 148 million (previous year: € 659 million), whereby the trading contribution at DZ BANK AG had been exceptionally high in the previous year due to spread tightenings.

Gains and losses on investments improved significantly, up 72.6 per cent to -€ 121 million (2012: -€ 442 million). This improvement is mainly due to the fact that negative effects from the ABS portfolio were less than in the year-earlier period.

Other gains and losses on valuation of financial instruments amounted to € 1.1 billion in the reporting period after -€ 276 million in the year-earlier period. This was mainly due to reversals of impairment losses on euro-area periphery sovereign bonds held by DG HYP.

Administrative expenses were 2.9 per cent higher than in the previous year and reached € 2.94 billion. The 2.4 per cent increase in staff expenses and the 3.3 per cent rise in non-staff expenses are primarily due to increased regulatory requirements and market-related investments.

The core tier 1 capital ratio stood at 9.2 per cent as at reporting date. After the first implementation step of Basel III and CRR as at 1.1.2014 the ratio would reach 8.6 per cent.

The net profit rose 51.4 per cent to € 1.47 billion after € 969 million in the previous year.

A dividend of 13 cents per share is to be proposed to the Annual General Meeting after 10 cents in the previous year. “With the proposed dividend we allow our owners to participate appropriately in the success of the past financial year and at the same time strike a balance between strengthening the tier 1 capital and serving the interests of our owners,” explains Kirsch.

Outlook

Like all big European banks, the DZ BANK Group is facing a transformation in the supervisory architecture in 2014: the European Central Bank (ECB) becomes the supervisory authority for all banks with total assets of more than € 30 billion or equivalent to 20 per cent of their home country’s economic product. “The ECB’s assumption of supervisory powers and particularly the “Asset Quality Review” (AQR) as well as the renewed stress test will concern us intensely this year. Thanks to the successful strengthening of our capital base from our own resources we meet these requirements on stable foundations“, says Wolfgang Kirsch. “At the same time, it is not yet possible to predict the precise parameters of AQR and the stress test. The same applies to the possible consequences of the many new legislative initiatives for banking regulation that are currently being prepared. Against this background, our capital increase of € 1.5 billion provides the necessary assurance that our capital base meets the regulatory requirements. The Board of Managing Directors of DZ BANK is certain that our organisation will be able to meet this special challenge in the interests of all concerned and that all will make their contribution”, says Kirsch.

DZ BANK’s economists expect positive stimuli from the economic setting in FY 2014. After two years of sluggish growth they expect global economic product to increase by 3.5 per cent. In Germany growth is likely to be more than two per cent a year in each of the two coming years. And there are also mounting signs of slightly positive growth rates for the entire euro area. “So far we have got off to an encouraging start in FY 2014. Admittedly, we shall not be able to maintain last year’s earnings momentum to the same extent – also because of one-off valuation effects – but as a part of our successful cooperative financial network in our flourishing home market in Germany we see good chances of our completing the current FY at an earnings level that is within the corridor seen in the two previous years“, says Kirsch.

Documents:

Speech Wolfgang Kirsch (72 KB)

Presentation (138 KB)

 

Preliminary (IFRS) income statement DZ BANK Group

 

In € million 2013 2012 % change
Net interest income 3,118 3,260 -4.4
Allowances for losses on loans and advances -540 -527 2.5
Net fee and commission income 1,104 1,024 7.8
Gains and losses on trading activities 148 659 -77.5
Gains and losses on investments -121 -442 -72.6
Other gains and losses on valuation of financial instruments 1,100 -276 >100.0
Net income from insurance activities 373 532 -29.9
Administrative expenses -2,937 -2,855 2.9
Other net operating income -23 -56 -58.9
Profit before taxes 2,222 1,319 68.5
Income taxes -755 -350 >100.0
Net profit 1,467 969 51.4
Cost/income ratio [in %] 51.5 60.7 -9.2 % points
Total assets [in € billion] 387.0 407.2 -5.0

Martin Roth
Divisional Head Communication & Marketing
Tel.: 069 7447-42750

Silvia Conesa
Spokesperson
Tel.: 069 7447-90568

Sebastian Müller
Spokesperson
Tel.: 069 7447-92748

 

 

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