SBBJ Q4 Net up 18% at Rs 280 crore on improved asset quality

SBI associate bank State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) today reported 18 per cent rise in its net profit at Rs 280.25 crore in the January-March period, driven by improvement in asset quality and higher recovery from written-off accounts.
The bank had reported a profit after tax of Rs 238 crore in the same period last year.
"In the quarter, we focused on reduction in non performing assets. We also had a higher recovery from written off accounts," the bank's Managing Director Jyoti Ghosh told reporters here today.
It had a recovery of Rs 92 crore from written-off accounts during the year, of which Rs 64 crore came in the last quarter.

Gross non-performing assets improved to 4.14 per cent from 4.18 per cent last year, while net NPA stood at 2.54 per cent as against 2.76 per cent.
Total restructured assets as on March 31 stood at Rs 7,253.36 crore.

For the full year, the bank's profit after tax grew 6.15 per cent to Rs 777 crore from Rs 732 crore in the same period last year.
Total income was up 7.38 per cent to Rs 2,635 crore in the quarter from Rs 2,454 crore in the same period last year.
Net interest margin in the fourth quarter stood at 3.37 per cent from 3.62 per cent last year.

Provision coverage ratio stood at 57.05 per cent in the quarter from 56.67 per cent.
Total business of the bank increased to Rs 1,55,392 crore in FY15, up 11.62 per cent, as against Rs 1,39,208 crore last year.
In FY15, advances grew 11 per cent to Rs 71,153 crore from Rs 65,333 crore.
The bank is looking at advances growth of 12 per cent and deposit growth of 16 per cent in FY16.
On capital raising plans, Ghosh said the bank would be raising Rs 700 crore through a combination of equity and bonds during the year.
"We are at present not looking at SBI for capital raising. We will be going to raise Rs 500 crore of common equity Tier I capital and Rs 200 crore from Tier II bonds," he said, adding that the decision would be taken by the end of this month.

The bank had yesterday cut its base rate by 0.15 per cent to 10.10 per cent.
SBBJ shares closed 0.59 per cent down at Rs 563.70 per scrip on the BSE, which itself closed 2.63 per cent down at 26,717.37.