Metropolitan Bank & Trust Corp. (Metrobank), the financial arm of the Ty family, said Tuesday it booked a record net income of P35.7 billion in nine months ending September 2024, up by 12.4 percent year-on-year, boosted by strong asset expansion, recovery in non-interest income and improved asset quality.
The bank said in a disclosure to the stock exchange this translated into a return on equity of 12.9 percent, up from 12.8 percent in the same period last year.
“Our robust results reflect our strong drive to continue supporting the growing needs of our clients, all while preserving the health of our portfolio,” said Metrobank president Fabian Dee.
“We look forward to the positive impact of recent regulatory measures on the banking industry alongside improving economic outlook,” Dee said.
Gross loans increased 15.6 percent year-on-year as of September 2024, with commercial loans rising 16.6 percent. This growth reflected businesses resuming capital spending and increasing inventory.
Consumer loans also grew 12.3 percent, on the back of a 16.60percent rise in net credit card receivables and a 15.7-percent increase in auto loans.
Total deposits reached P2.3 trillion, with low-cost current and savings accounts (CASA) comprising 62.3 percent of total deposits.
Net interest income climbed 11 percent to P85.7 billion, while net interest margin stood at 3.9 percent.
Metrobank said that in the third quarter, it generated combined trading and foreign exchange gains of P5.6 billion, a 56.4-percent increase year-on-year.
Fee income also rose to P12.5 billion in the same period, but operating costs increased 11.2 percent year-on-year to P57.0 billion on higher manpower, taxes, licenses, IT and marketing expenses.
The cost-to-income ratio was 52.2 percent. Pre-provision operating profit increased by 7.9 percent to P 52.8 billion.
The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio improved to 1.59 percent, while the NPL coverage remained high at 161.9 percent.
Consolidated assets reached P3.34 trillion, making Metrobank the second largest private universal bank in the country. Total equity was reported at P380.1 billion.
