Briefs: Silver Chef increases profits, Rubik loses out, RBS sale next week

Equipment finance company Silver Chef said it increased net profit by 38 per cent to A$4.2 million over the December 2011 half. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) increased 30 per cent to $24.9 million. Rental assets increased 32 per cent to $168 million. Silver Chef said its bad debts were less than one per cent of revenue. Commonwealth Bank is the financier's principal funder.

Rubik Financial reported another, albeit small, loss in the December 2011 half-year of A$108,000, up from a re-stated loss of $88,000 in the corresponding half in 2010. Revenue over the half-year was $5 million, down $200,000 on the prior period (though the cash payments from customers were closer to $6 million). Rubik, a vendor of banking technology solutions, said it was now earning revenue from the activation of niche services for clients. The covering commentary did not mention any new contract wins over the half-year.

Royal Bank of Scotland may wait until next week to confirm Malaysian bank CIMB as the buyer of its investment banking business in Asia, the Financial Review reported in its Street Talk column. RBS will hold a market update tonight. The AFR also reported that partners in Brisbane-based stockbroker RBS Morgans were negotiating to buy RBS out of its 50 per cent stake.

The number of financial services job opportunities in Australia fell by 21 per cent over the December 2011 quarter compared with the same quarter in 2010, says eFinancialCareers. EFC said that while job cuts were underway in banking "there are pockets of hiring in a number of important job sectors driven by increased global regulation, impending tighter risk controls and a more competitive environment."