The New Banking Data for Ireland

The aggregate banking data for Ireland has been difficult to interpret due to the large volume of international banking activity that is routed through Dublin but which has little to do with the domestic financial system. In a welcome development, the Central Bank has re-organised how it publishes the aggregate banking data. In addition to publishing data for ‘all credit institutions’, it now also publishes data for ‘credit institutions (domestic group)’.  Data and explanations are available here.

In approximate terms for June 2010, the domestic group accounts for 59 percent of the aggregate balance sheet of all credit institutions but 87 percent of domestic deposits and 87 percent of domestic loans (94 percent of loans to domestic private sector).

Now that’s what I call a stress test

HT Calculated Risk

More Comments on AIB’s Half-Yearly Report

I surely have better things to do with my time but, yes, I spent the evening reading AIB’s half year report (with the Airtricity boys doing us proud in the background.) As John already noted, the report has a lot of pretty bad news in it, so I thought I’d point out some sort of positive news (before getting back to the bad stuff).

Liquidity Situation

The good news? Despite concerns that have been expressed about a looming “wall of cash” moment, AIB looks as though it’s in a position to get through to the end of the year paying back all its debts, though this may require ECB assistance.

Continue reading “More Comments on AIB’s Half-Yearly Report”

A Tough Half Year for AIB

“The six months to June 2010 was a very difficult period for AIB and its customers.”  So begins management’s overview of AIB’s interim results for 2010—and it’s hard to disagree.   Bank watchers were looking for news in three main areas: impairments on non-NAMA bound loans, operating profits, and progress on asset disposals.   Today’s release managed to disappoint on all three. 

Provisions for impairment were €2.3 bl. (including €1.2 bl. for loans “identified for potential transfer to NAMA”).   Operating profit before provisions fell 46 percent from the same period last year, with significant falls in the net interest margin.   And Colm Doherty was not especially forthcoming on how well the disposals of Polish, UK and US assets are going, although his presentation to analysts did give the sense that AIB were being forced into a fire sale in poor market conditions—hardly encouraging. 

Other “news” included the (inevitable) plan to follow BOI in raising the rate on variable-rate mortgages by about half a percentage point, and the (sensible) call to extend the guarantee on both shorter- and longer-term liabilities given the continuing difficult funding environment. 

The interim report is available here.   Colm Doherty’s presentation and Q&A is available here. 

International Data on Property Prices

There is no international standard for the reporting of property price indices.  However, it is still very welcome that the BIS has now made public its database on property prices for 37 countries. Details (and spreadsheet) available here.