TrustCo acquisition boosts Perpetual Corporate Trust
Perpetual's Corporate Trust division reported strong earnings growth for the year to June, on the back of higher revenue from improved securitisation markets as well as the contribution from TrustCo, which was acquired in December.The division contributed A$25.7 million of pre-tax profit to group earnings - an increase of 40 per cent over the previous corresponding period. Revenue was up 37 per cent to $67.4 million. The profit margin rose from 37 per cent in the 2012/13 financial year to 38 per cent in the year to June.Revenue from the provision of securitisation services rose eight per cent to $41.1 million. This increase came from higher issuance in the residential mortgage-backed and asset-based securities markets.Partially offsetting the growth in RMBS issuance, runoff rates increased as borrowers accelerated repayments on their mortgages.The company said the Reserve Bank's requirement for increased transparency in the RMBS market, which calls for the disclosure of loan level data, provided an opportunity for the business to offer data services to securitisation clients. These services contributed an additional $700,000 of revenue for the year to June.The acquisition of TrustCo delivered additional revenue of $15.7 million and boosted pre-tax profit by $3.8 million.TrustCo operates trustee businesses in Australia and Singapore, providing corporate, debt and capital market trustee services. It also offers custody and superannuation complianceSince the acquisition was completed Perpetual has sold TrustCo's New Zealand business, Guardian Trust, and TrustCo's holding in Equity Trustees.