Leumi Reports Net Income of NIS 2,015 Million ($565 Million) and 11.4% ROE in the First Half of 2019

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

> Net income in the first half of 2019 reached NIS 2,015 million ($565 million), compared with NIS 1,633 million ($458 million) in the same period last year - a 23.4% year-over-year increase.

> Return on equity in the first half of 2019 was 11.4%, compared with 9.9% in the same period last year. Excluding the effect of the sale of Leumi Card, the return on equity in the first half of 2019 was 10.2%, compared with 9.4% in the same period last year.

> Net income in the second quarter of 2019 totaled NIS 923 million ($259 million), compared with NIS 903 million ($253 million) in the same period last year, and compared with NIS 843 million ($236 million) in the same period last year when excluding the effect of Leumi Card.

> Return on equity in the second quarter of 2019 was 10.6%, compared with 10.4% in the same period last year, excluding the effect of Leumi Card.

> Efficiency ratio continues to improve - A 53.1% ratio in the first half of 2019, compared with 61.7% in the same period last year. Excluding the effect of Leumi Card, the efficiency ratio in the first half of 2019 was 55.5%, compared with 62.0% in the same period last year. Within this framework, the Bank recently launched a new voluntary retirement plan for 250 employees by the end of 2019.

> Credit loss expenses in the first half of 2019 reached 0.19% of the credit portfolio, compared with 0.05% in the same period last year (excluding Leumi Card). The increase stems from credit growth, a decrease in collections and reclassifications.

> Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio in the first half of 2019 was 11.65%, and the total capital ratio reached 15.08%.

> The Bank will distribute a dividend of 40% of its net income in the second quarter of 2019, totaling NIS 369 million ($103 million). The accumulated dividend for the first half of 2019 totaled NIS 806 million ($226 million).

> Share buyback - At the end of May 2019, the Bank began to implement a share buyback plan in the amount of up to NIS 700 million ($196 million). As of the date of the financial statements' approval, the Bank purchased shares totaling NIS 301 million ($84 million).

> Net interest income in the first half of 2019, excluding the effect of Leumi Card, was up by NIS 310 million ($87 million) compared with the same period last year, a 7.2% increase.

> Total operating and other expenses in the first half of 2019, excluding Leumi Card, were up by NIS 101 million ($28 million) compared with the same period last year, a 2.7% increase. The increase mainly arose from a provision for the bonus granted to employees based on high returns and the collective salary agreement.

An Improvement in Balance Sheet Parameters:

> Shareholders' equity totaled NIS 35.8 billion ($10.0 billion) as at June 30, 2019, compared with NIS 34.7 billion ($9.7 billion) as at June 30, 2018.

> Net credit to the public totaled NIS 277.1 billion ($77.7 billion) as at June 30, 2019, compared with NIS 264.2 billion ($74.1 billion) as at June 30, 2018 (excluding Leumi Card). The increase is mainly attributed to mortgage, middle-market and corporate loans.

> Deposits by the public totaled NIS 373.2 billion ($104.6 billion) as at June 30, 2019, compared with NIS 361.2 billion ($101.3 billion) as at June 30, 2018 (excluding Leumi Card).

> Leverage ratio as at June 30, 2019 was 7.14%, compared to the 6% minimum required by the Bank of Israel.

> Liquidity coverage ratio as at June 30, 2019 was 125%, compared to the 100% minimum required by the Bank of Israel.

Leumi Group - Principal Data from the Financial Statements

Profit and Profitability (in NIS millions)

                                  For the six months    Change in %       December 31

                                  ended June 30



        
            
        2019  2018  2018

                       ---

        Net
         interest
         income            4,586 4,420              3.8              8,890

    ---

        Credit
         loss
         expenses            270   116       
            +               519

    ---

        Non-
         interest
         income            2,749 2,241             22.7              4,871

    ---

        Operating
         and other
         expenses          3,896 4,109            (5.2)             8,337

    ---

        Profit
         before
         taxes             3,169 2,436             30.1              4,905

    ---

        Provision
         for taxes         1,120   783             43.0              1,619

    ---

        Profit
         after
         taxes             2,049 1,653             24.0              3,286

    ---

        The
         Bank's
         share in
         profits
         of
         companies
         included
         on
         equity
         basis              (14)   12                                 36

    ---

        Net
         income
         attributed
         to non-
         controlling
         interests          (20) (32)            37.5               (65)

    ---

        Net
         income
         attributed
         to
         shareholders
         of the
         banking
         corporation       2,015 1,633             23.4              3,257

    ---

        Return on
         equity
         (%)               11.4   9.9                                9.5

    ---

        Earnings
         per
         share
         (NIS)              1.35  1.07                               2.15

    ---

Development of Balance Sheet Items (in NIS millions)

                                                           As at June 30         December 31



                           
             
     2019    2018    2018

                                        ---


       Net credit to the public (a)        277,129 264,173              271,173

    ---


       Deposits by the public (a)          373,152 361,220              364,591

    ---


       Shareholders' equity                 35,795  34,680               35,305

    ---


       Total assets                        467,880 450,449              460,657

    ---

a) Excluding the balances for Leumi Card, which have been classified as held-for-sale assets and liabilities since the balance sheet as at March 31, 2018.

Principal Financial Ratios (%)

                                          As at June 30       December 31



       
        
                2019  2018  2018

                          ---

         Net credit to the
          public to total
          assets (a)           59.2  58.6                58.9

    ---

         Deposits by the
          public to total
          assets (b)           79.8  80.2                79.1

    ---

         Total equity to risk
          assets              15.08 14.29               14.54

    ---

         Total Tier 1 equity
          to risk assets      11.65 11.17               11.07

    ---

         Leverage ratio        7.14  7.01                7.05

    ---

         Liquidity coverage
          ratio                 125   124                 121

    ---

(a) Excluding the credit for Leumi Card (comparative results), which have been classified as held-for-sale assets and liabilities since the balance sheet as at March 31, 2018.

(b) Excluding the deposits by Leumi Card (comparative results), which have been classified as held-for-sale assets and liabilities since the balance sheet as at March 31, 2018.

The data in this press release has been converted into US dollars solely for convenience purposes, at the representative exchange rate published by the Bank of Israel on June 30, 2019, NIS 3.566.

Conference Call Details:

A conference call to discuss the results will be held today at 5 PM (Israel); 3 PM (UK); 10:00 AM (ET).

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):

Israel: 03-9180685
UK: 0-800-051-8913
US & Canada: 1-888-281-1167
All other locations: +972-3-918-0685

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.

For more information, visit www.leumi.co.il or contact
Daphna Golden
VP, Head of Investor Relations
Daphna.Golden@bankleumi.co.il

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leumi-reports-net-income-of-nis-2-015-million-565-million-and-11-4-roe-in-the-first-half-of-2019--300901405.html

SOURCE Bank Leumi