Interim Management Statement - Part 1 of 7
Highlights
Continued progress in the RBS recovery plan
· Continued momentum in strengthening the Group's balance sheet:
○ Funded assets declined again to £909 billion, a reduction of £68 billion from the start of 2012.
○ Core Tier 1 ratio remained strong at 11.1% whilst absorbing uplifts from regulatory changes; 10.4% excluding the capital relief provided by the Asset Protection Scheme (APS).
○ The Group's loan:deposit ratio improved further to 102%.
○ Usage of short-term wholesale funding has more than halved since the start of 2012 to £49 billion.
· RBS's credit profile has strengthened markedly in the traded debt markets reflecting the success of RBS restructuring efforts. CDS spreads have halved since their 2011 peak, and secondary bond spreads on five year maturity have narrowed from c.450 basis points to c.100 basis points on a year-to-date basis. This strengthening has resulted in an accounting charge for improved own credit of £4,429 million year-to-date, including £1,455 million in Q3.
Delivering against major milestones
· Direct Line Group was successfully floated in October 2012, raising £911 million from the sale of a 34.7% stake in the company.
· The exit from the UK Government's APS on 18 October 2012 provides a further demonstration of the Group's progress in rebuilding a strong and stable balance sheet. The exit also marks a major UK fiscal benefit, with the Government's original £200 billion contingent exposure now extinguished.
· While Santander's decision to pull out of its agreed purchase of certain of the Group's UK branch-based businesses was disappointing, much of the work to separate this profitable and well-funded business has already been completed, and RBS has recommenced its efforts to divest the business, which utilises some 2% of the Group's capital resources.
Highlights (continued)
Operating performance stable in Q3 2012
· Q3 2012 Group operating profit improved to £1,047 million from £650 million in Q2 and £2 million in Q3 2011, with Core operating profit up 8% from Q2 and 67% from Q3 2011. There was a further reduction in operating losses from Non-Core.
· Core operating profit was £1,633 million, with a solid performance in Markets offset by lower income and a small number of single name impairments in UK Corporate.
· Core return on tangible equity (ROTE) for the first nine months of 2012 was 10%. Markets' return on equity (ROE) over this period was 12.0%.
· Group net interest margin was stable at 1.94%, with Core Retail & Commercial NIM also steady at 2.92%.
· Group expenses were reduced by 6% versus prior quarter to £3,639 million, with Core R&C down 3% to £2,389 million and Markets down 5% to £753 million. The Core cost:income ratio improved to 59%, with UK Retail now at 51%.
· Staff costs were 5% lower than in Q2 at £1,943 million, with headcount down by 9,900, 7%, from a year earlier.
· Group impairment losses totalled £1,176 million in Q3 2012, down £159 million from the prior quarter. Non-Core impairments, mostly in real estate finance, were £183 million lower. Total Ulster Bank (Core and Non-Core) impairments were £493 million, compared with £514 million in Q2 2012.
Continuing commitment to customers in difficult times
· Maintaining support for the Group's core UK retail and commercial customers is a key priority. RBS has supported over 350,000 SMEs with £28.6 billion of lending, including overdrafts, so far this year. RBS has also helped more than 43,000 customers buy their home, including 14,000 first time buyers, with £11 billion of gross new mortgage lending in the first nine months of 2012.
· RBS continues to work hard to remedy a number of past issues. Q3 2012 results include an additional £400 million provision in relation to Payment Protection Insurance, bringing the cumulative charge to £1.7 billion.
· The Group is determined to continue to strengthen its management disciplines and culture in order to ensure that serving customers well becomes more deeply embedded as the Bank's core purpose. Key points of focus are:
○ Better performance against Customer Charter targets.
○ Widening the scope of training programmes for front-line staff.
○ Overhauling service offerings to align them more closely to customers' needs.
○ Realigning incentive structures to ensure they take proper account of customer interest.
Note:
(1)
Operating profit before tax, own credit adjustments, Asset Protection Scheme, Payment Protection Insurance costs, amortisation of purchased intangible assets, integration and restructuring costs, loss on redemption of own debt, strategic disposals and RFS Holdings minority interest ('operating profit'). Statutory operating loss before tax was £2,763 million for the nine months ended 30 September 2012.