Leumi Reports a Net Profit of NIS 622 Million ($171 Million) in First Quarter 2017, Up 36% from First Quarter 2016

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

• Net profit of NIS 622 million ($171 million) in the first quarter 2017. The increase in profit mainly resulted from an increase in profits from core business activity.
• Comprehensive income of NIS 908 million ($250 million) in the first quarter 2017.
• Net return on equity in the first quarter 2017 (on an annual basis) reached 8.1%.
• Return of comprehensive income on equity in the first quarter 2017 (on an annual basis) reached 12%.
• For the first time in 6 years, the Bank will distribute NIS 124 million ($34 million) in dividends.

In accordance with the Bank's Strategy:

• Credit to the public increased by NIS 2.8 billion ($771 million) compared with December 31, 2016 (an increase of 4% in annual terms). Excluding the effect of the shekel appreciation, the increase in credit reached NIS 4.8 billion ($1,322 million).
• Net interest income increased by 13.2%, compared with the corresponding period last year.
• Credit loss expenses were NIS 101 million ($27.8 million), compared with credit loss income of NIS 123 million ($33.9 million) in the corresponding period last year.
• A decrease of NIS 56 million ($15 million) in salary expenses (4.3%), when excluding one-time items, compared with the corresponding period last year.
• A significant improvement in the efficiency ratio to 64.9%, compared with 74.1% in the corresponding period last year.
• The core capital ratio (Tier I) reached 11.02%, while the capital adequacy ratio reached 14.82%. The capital adequacy will allow the Bank to further expand its activities in all business lines.

Balance sheet parameters:

• The Group's equity at March 31, 2017 increased to NIS 32.3 billion ($8.9 billion), compared with NIS 31.3 billion ($8.6 billion) at December 31, 2016 (an increase of 2.9%).
• The leverage ratio at March 31, 2017 reached 6.9%, compared to the Bank of Israel minimal threshold, which is 6%.
• Net credit to the public at March 31, 2017 increased to NIS 264.7 billion ($72.9 billion), compared with NIS 261.9 billion ($72.1 billion) at December 31, 2016.
• Household credit in Israel (excluding housing loans) increased to NIS 39 billion ($10.7 billion), compared with NIS 38 billion ($10.5 billion) at December 31, 2016. 
• Middle-market credit increased to NIS 35 billion ($9.6 billion), compared with NIS 34 billion ($9.4 billion) at December 31, 2016. 
• Corporate credit increased to NIS 52 billion ($14.3 billion), compared with NIS 51 billion ($14.0 billion) at December 31, 2016. 
• Deposits of the public at March 31, 2017 amounted to NIS 341.7 billion ($94.1 billion), compared with NIS 346.9 billion ($95.5 billion) at December 31, 2016 (the decrease results from the appreciation of the shekel compared to foreign currencies).

Conference Call Details:

A conference call to discuss the results will be held today at 4 PM (Israel); 2 PM (UK); 9:00 AM (ET). The call will be accompanied by a slide presentation which will be available at Leumi Q1 2017 Financial Results Investor Presentation.

It is recommended to connect to the link at least 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the call. An archived recording will be available on the Leumi website one business day after the call ends.

Conference Call Dial-in Details (no passcode required):

The conference call does not replace the latest periodic/quarterly reports in which full information is contained, including forward-looking information, as defined in the Israeli Securities Law, and set out in the aforementioned reports.

Leumi Group (TASE: LUMI) - Principal Data from the Financial Statements

The data in this press release has been converted into US dollars solely for convenience, at the representative rate of exchange published by the Bank of Israel prevailing on March 31, 2017, NIS 3.632.

For more information, visit www.leumi.co.il or contact Daphna Golden, VP, Head of Investor Relations, at [email protected]

SOURCE Bank Leumi