Lombard Bank Reports Excellent Results For 2022
A local bank has just reported its strong performance throughout the previous year in a new statement.
The Board of Directors of Lombard Bank met on 27th April 2023 when the Bank’s Annual Report and group audited financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2022 were approved.
The Bank registered a profit before tax of €28.8 million, while that of the group stood at €27.7 million. The main drivers of this performance for the bank have improved interest income streams and the recovery of a non-performing commercial loan.
Financial Performance
- Net Interest Income rose by 14% to €22.3 million when compared to the previous year, mainly driven by Loans and Advances to Customers rising by 11% to reach €711.6 million
- Net Fee and Commission Income improved by 4% to reach €5.4 million, supported by a positive trend registered in the Bank’s various business lines.
- Group operating costs fell by 15% to €20.9 million, with the Bank’s Cost Efficiency Ratio easing to 57.4% (2021: 60.8%), a reflection of effective cost management.
- In respect of “Expected Credit Losses” (ECLs) a write-back of €16.2 million was accounted for, compared to €1.5 million in the previous year. This resulted from the full recovery of the Bank’s single largest Non-Performing Loan and the reversal of Pandemic-related management overlays set in previous years, reflecting the then prevailing economic circumstances.
- Loans and Advances to Customers reached €711.6 million, while Amounts Owed to Customers stood at €1,008.4 million.
- A strong liquidity position was maintained with Advances to Deposits Ratio at 70.6%, compared to 65.8% at the end of the previous year.
- Net Asset Value (NAV) per share stood at €1.50 (2021: €1.53).
- Post-tax Return on Equity (ROE) was 12.8% (2021: 5.7%).
By way of an update in respect of its strategy, the bank said it remained committed to growing prudently while stepping up investment in its distribution network, human resources and information technology.
“In this regard it continues to expand its physical retail presence in response to rising customer demand and to further grow the bank’s support functions. The bank will remain close to the Maltese community, both at a commercial as well as at a retail level,” it said.
The Lombard team also said it is currently reviewing its core transaction processing systems, digital channels and card services, and plans further investment in the prevention of AML/CFT and regulatory reporting systems.
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