Profitability Prevails

Chai r m an José Ignacio Goirigolzarri told shareholders .n March that âeuroœthe bank has considerable strengths, a well-defined strategy and a differential banking model,âeuro and, referring to the recent turmoil in global banking, pointed out that with its widespread deposit base, CaixaBank has a very different business model. âeuroœOur investments are extremely diversified because we serve all markets, from large corporations to households,âeuro he said. âeuroœOur ratios are extremely robust in terms of liquidity and solvency.âeuro The acquisition of former rival Bankia, he added, has been âeuroœthe largest integration ever undertaken in Spainâeuro™s banking sectorâeuro and reinforced CaixaBankâeuro™s leadership across most market segments. [...]the return on tangible equity (ROTE) rose to 9.8% and the bank reinforced its liquidity and capital base. [...]Sanpaolo s domestic Banca dei Territori division, which focuses on small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) and retail, raised net income by nearly half, to €471 million, thanks to higher margins and significantly lower operating costs and net provisions. Since he stepped down, Hamers has been replaced as group CEO by veteran UBS leader Sergio P. Ermotti, who now faces the monumental task of integrating the parts of Credit Suisse that can be rescued and forging a new bank that will be, on current asset values, the largest in Europe.