Profit down for conservative TSB
TSB Bank's continued focus on raising funds via retail deposits and lending conservatively means the bank hasn't maximised its profits.Net profit for the June 2010 quarter came in at NZ$8.7 million, down from NZ$14.9 million in the same quarter a year earlier and compared with NZ$51.8 million for the full year ending March 2010. The profit included a deferred tax adjustment of NZ$4 million that takes into account zero per cent depreciation that will be applicable from next income year to buildings with a life of over 50 years. TSB earned just NZ$20.9 million as interest in investment securities, which was half of the NZ$41.3 million earned from loans to customers. The quarter saw a small rise in TSB's loan book and deposits. The bank increased its mortgages to NZ$2.2 billion, up just NZ$56 million from March. Deposits grew just NZ$25 million from March to NZ$4.0 billion.The only silver lining for the bank is that the deposit growth during the quarter was fully invested in loans, as investment in securities remained steady during the June quarter.