Allied Irish returns to operating profit
The bank, bailed out by the Irish taxpayer after the 2008 financial crisis, said yesterday that, excluding a provision of €1.9 billion (£1.6bn) for bad and doubtful debts, it made an operating profit of €445 million (£366m).
The loan impairments figure was down a quarter on the previous 12 months in what AIB chief executive David Duffy said had been a year of steady progress.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAIB said profit margins had improved due to the costcutting, including shedding almost one in five staff. “We remain focused on sustainable growth and returning to profitability during 2014,” Duffy commented.
“Notwithstanding the ongoing challenges facing the bank, we are more optimistic for the outlook of both the bank and the Irish econonmy.”
The chief executive said he did not think AIB would need further capital as a result of the regulatory European balance sheet stress tests due later this year.