[THE INVESTOR] Hana Financial Group reported on Oct. 22 its net profit in the third quarter surged 76.6 percent on-year to 450.1 billion won (US$396 billion) on a consolidated basis.

The third-quarter earnings were Hana’s highest quarterly results since the first quarter of 2012.

Interest income came to 3.45 trillion won in the January-September period, up 2 percent on-year, boosting the performance.

However, the group’s net interest margin, a key barometer of profitability, slipped 0.01 percentage point to 1.8 percent from the previous quarter.

Flagship affiliate KEB Hana Bank posted a net profit of 1.26 trillion won in the January-September period, soaring 180 percent on-year.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)