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Tue 16 Sep 2008, 8:00 FST - Firstrand - Audited Results For The Year Ended 30 June 2008 And
FSR
FSR                                                                             
FST - Firstrand - Audited Results For The Year Ended 30 June 2008 And           
                        Cash Dividend Declaration                               
FIRSTRAND LIMITED                                                               
Registration No: 1966/010753/06                                                 
JSE code: FSR                                                                   
ISIN: ZAE000066304                                                              
NSX share code: FST                                                             
Certain companies within the FirstRand Group are Authorised Financial           
Services Providers                                                              
AUDITED RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2008 AND CASH DIVIDEND               
DECLARATION                                                                     
KEY FINANCIALS                                                                  
Net asset value up 11%                                                          
Attributable earnings R11 309 million                                           
Normalised ROE 22%                                                              
Dividend maintained                                                             
INTRODUCTION                                                                    
This announcement covers the audited financial results of FirstRand Limited     
("FirstRand" or "the Group") for the year ended 30 June 2008 and deals with     
the financial and operating performance of its main business units. The         
Group consists of a portfolio of leading financial services franchises;         
these are First National Bank ("FNB"), the retail and commercial bank, Rand     
Merchant Bank ("RMB"), the investment bank, WesBank, the instalment finance     
business, Momentum, the life insurance business and Discovery, the health       
and life business. Discovery was unbundled in November 2007.                    
OPERATING ENVIRONMENT                                                           
The international and South African operating environments were particularly    
challenging for the year to 30 June 2008. Globally there was higher             
inflation, resulting in slowing economic growth and recession concerns. The     
ongoing stress in the international credit markets created weakness and         
volatility in global financial markets.                                         
In South Africa, inflation continued to rise, mainly driven by an increase      
in energy and food prices and this, combined with a cumulative 250 basis        
point increase in interest rates and resultant falling asset prices, put        
severe strain on the consumer. This led to slower retail asset growth and       
much higher bad debt levels which, as expected, negatively impacted retail      
lending portfolios.                                                             
Corporate demand for credit continued to show resilience with capital           
expenditure, infrastructure development and corporate action providing good     
growth opportunities for the Group`s corporate and investment banking           
divisions. Certain segments within the Small Medium Enterprise ("SME")          
environment are feeling the impact of the credit cycle, however, large          
corporate balance sheets generally remain strong and relatively under           
leveraged.                                                                      
The local equity, currency and interest rate markets were characterised by      
increased volatility which assisted the fixed income and proprietary trading    
areas of the Group, as well as greater trading volumes and structuring          
opportunities. Whilst this volatility was positive for local trading            
activities, severe dislocations in the international equity markets resulted    
in significant losses in the Group`s international trading portfolios.          
The insurance businesses showed good earnings growth despite tough              
conditions characterised by lower equity markets and increased interest         
rates.                                                                          
FINANCIAL AND OPERATING PERFORMANCE                                             
FirstRand`s diverse portfolio of banking businesses provided some protection    
from the difficulties in the trading portfolios, but the size of the trading    
losses combined with the significant increases in retail bad debts resulted     
in the Group`s continuing operations (pro forma) earnings declining 8% to       
R10.4 billion, with a normalised return on equity ("ROE") of 22%.               
The Banking Group reported a 13% reduction in normalised earnings from R10.1    
billion to R8.8 billion and a ROE of 20%.                                       
The Momentum Group increased normalised earnings 20% from R1.7 billion to R2    
billion and delivered an excellent ROE of 30%. The performance of the           
Momentum Group reflects the remarkable resilience of the business given the     
difficult trading environment. This is a result of Momentum`s strong market     
position with the high end customer. In addition, its conservative capital      
management strategy immunises Momentum against volatility in equity markets.    
Sales via the FNB channels were strong, highlighting the success of its         
channel diversification strategy.                                               
The table below represents the relative contribution from continuing            
operations to normalised earnings from the Banking and Insurance Groups:        
YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                                   
                                                       % contri-                
R MILLION (unaudited)       2008     2007     % change  bution                  
Banking Group               8 814    10 089   (13)      85                      
Momentum Group              2 004    1 668    20        19                      
FirstRand and dividend      (420)    (448)    6         (4)                     
paid to non cumulative non                                                      
redeemable preference                                                           
shareholders                                                                    
Total FirstRand Group       10 398   11 309   (8)       100                     
The Banking Group was impacted by two significant issues:                       
* impairments in the retail lending operations of R4.7 billion (2007: R2.6      
billion); and                                                                   
* losses in the Equity Trading division of R1.4 billion (2007: Profit of        
R1.4 billion).                                                                  
Impairments                                                                     
The retail lending operations of the Banking Group were severely impacted by    
the dramatic increase in bad debts from R2.6 billion to R4.7 billion. This      
was a direct result of the deteriorating consumer credit cycle with the         
significant increase in interest rates combined with higher inflation           
placing serious strain on disposable income and eroding household               
affordability levels. The absolute level of bad debts in the year under         
review highlights the severity of the current cycle. It is not a reflection     
of structural asset quality issues such as those experienced in other           
markets (eg sub prime exposure), however, the Banking Group under-estimated     
the overall extent of interest rate increases.                                  
Given the current cycle, FirstRand`s bad debt levels are in line with           
expectations, are correctly priced for and are not out of line with the         
South African industry, taking into account the different asset mixes of the    
local banks` portfolios. With the introduction of International Financial       
Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), banks earnings with reference to bad debts are    
now more reflective of the economic cycle, and can therefore be more            
volatile.                                                                       
FirstRand`s diverse corporate portfolio is well represented across the          
strongest sectors of the economy. The Group is comfortable with its             
corporate asset mix and current levels of impairments.                          
Losses in equity trading                                                        
Losses in the Equity Trading division of RMB amounted to R1.4 billion (2007:    
Profit R1.4 billion). This included a loss of R1.9 billion in the               
international portfolio that was partially offset by a profit of R0.5           
billion in the local businesses.                                                
The losses in the international portfolio occurred at the time of extreme       
disruption and dislocation in international equity markets. There was a         
dramatic increase in volatility which necessitated additional capital to        
underpin the portfolios. There was a severe divergence in the correlation       
between the portfolio of small and mid cap stocks and the large cap indices     
that were used to hedge the portfolio. This resulted in losses being            
incurred on both the portfolio and the hedges. In addition, the almost          
complete drying up of liquidity meant that realisation and mark-to-market       
prices were substantially below the valuations the division placed on the       
stocks in their portfolio. However, a decision was finally made to undertake    
a managed sell down of the portfolio in order to reduce earnings volatility     
and at year end the portfolio was 15% of its original size. Subsequent to       
year end it has been reduced to less than 5%.                                   
The Group is satisfied that the losses were as a result of misreading the       
severity of the equity market dislocation and not due to a failure of risk      
management. However, the Group recognises that the absolute level of risk       
taken in this portfolio was too high and that the consequent volatility in      
earnings should be avoided in future by reducing the risk appetite in this      
type of activity.                                                               
OVERVIEW OF OPERATING FRANCHISES                                                
Below is a brief overview of each operating franchise:                          
RMB                              YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                             
R MILLION                        2008         2007      % change                
Normalised earnings (unaudited)  3 008        3 868     (22)                    
Total assets                     296 433      198 929   49                      
Total liabilities                292 091      153 886   90                      
ROE (%)                          25           40                                
RMB reported normalised earnings of R3 billion for the year to June 2008,       
22% lower than the previous year, but a satisfactory performance given the      
high base created in the previous year when earnings increased 80%. The         
resilience of RMB`s diversified portfolio of businesses mitigated to an         
extent the impact of the under performance of the Equity Trading division as    
Investment Banking, Fixed Income Currencies and Commodities ("FICC") and        
Private Equity significantly exceeded their prior year results, showing         
growth of 64%, 76% and 37% respectively.                                        
FNB                                YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                           
R MILLION                          2008        2007      % change               
Normalised earnings (unaudited)    4 654       4 245     10                     
Total assets                       211 412     185 803   14                     
Total liabilities                  197 828     172 424   15                     
Bad debt ratio (%)                 1.55        0.91                             
ROE (%)                            33          35                               
FNB`s operating environment was characterised by continued increases in         
interest rates and higher inflation placing pressure on consumer                
affordability levels and resulting in higher level of defaults. The credit      
markets were particularly challenging in the second half of the financial       
year, but FNB`s solid performance can be ascribed to a number of operational    
factors. Its strong franchise in the commercial and corporate segments,         
which now comprise more than half of FNB`s earnings, provided some              
mitigation to the significant increase in retail bad debts.                     
Its diversified retail portfolio also meant that whilst the consumer segment    
experienced a slow down in growth, the mass and wealth segments continued to    
perform well. The transactional and deposit businesses continued to grow,       
albeit at a slower rate than the prior year and a continued focus on            
efficiencies resulted in FNB`s cost to income ratio reducing by a further       
2.9 percentage points.                                                          
FNB Africa                              YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                      
R MILLION                               2008         2007     % change          
Normalised earnings (unaudited)         499          437      14                
Total assets                            29 413       21 615   36                
Total liabilities                       26 160       19 483   34                
Bad debt ratio (%)                      0.72         0.75                       
ROE (%)                                 34           33                         
The FNB Africa subsidiaries performed well in the year under review, growing    
normalised earnings 14% on the back of good advances growth and excellent       
growth in deposits. Transaction volumes also grew strongly across all the       
subsidiaries. Unlike South Africa, the bad debt levels experienced during       
the year remained stable.                                                       
WesBank                           YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                            
R MILLION                         2008     2007       % change                  
Normalised earnings (unaudited)   573      918        (38)                      
Total assets                      108 331  100 479    8                         
Bad debt ratio (%)                2.09     1.39                                 
ROE (%)                           12       23                                   
WesBank`s overall profitability was impacted by significant increases in bad    
debts in its local retail lending businesses. The compound effect of            
negative gearing has also resulted in asset growth slowing. Overall             
normalised earnings declined 38% to R573 million.                               
As previously reported, WesBank took the decision in the year under review      
to exit its Australian operations. The process to sell the auto loan book       
has been finalised and the sale of WorldMark is on track and the Group is       
optimistic that the net result of disposing of the lending operations should    
be largely offset by the eventual disposal of WorldMark. However, due to        
delays in the finalisation of the disposals, the Group is reporting only the    
costs, write downs and write offs associated with the operating assets and      
these have had a material negative impact on WesBank`s earnings in the year     
under review.                                                                   
Momentum                           YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                           
R MILLION                          2008         2007     % change               
Normalised earnings (unaudited)    2 004        1 668    20                     
Embedded value ("EV")              16 008       15 453   4                      
Return on EV (%)                   15           28                              
ROE (%)                            30           25                              
The Momentum Group delivered an excellent performance in tough economic         
conditions, with normalised earnings up 20% to R2 billion. In the insurance     
operations there was excellent growth in lump sum inflows and new business      
margins were maintained at 2.1%, whilst maintaining positive net cash flows.    
The business saw continued extension of its distribution channels and a         
pleasing turnaround from growth initiatives, especially in the middle market    
initiative with FNB. Capital efficiency and a strong operating performance      
led to a return on equity of 30%. The value of new business and a strong        
contribution from existing business once again delivered a robust return on     
embedded value of 15%.                                                          
The relative contribution to the Group`s continuing operations earnings mix     
and growth rates from types of income (retail, corporate, investment banking    
and insurance) by business unit is shown in the table below:                    
                  Year ended 30 June                                            
% contri-           % contri-  %                    
R MILLION          2008      bution     2007     bution     change              
Retail banking                                                                  
FNB (retail)       2 040                2 213                                   
WesBank            218                  641                                     
FNB Africa         499                  437                                     
Total              2 757     26         3 291    29         (16)                
Corporate banking                                                               
FNB (corporate)    477                  424                                     
FNB (commercial)   2 137                1 608                                   
WesBank            355                  277                                     
Total              2 969     29         2 309    20         29                  
Investment                                                                      
banking                                                                         
RMB                3 008     29         3 868    34         (22)                
Insurance                                                                       
Momentum           2 004     19         1 668    15         20                  
Other                                                                           
FirstRand and      (420)                (448)                                   
dividend paid to                                                                
non cumulative                                                                  
non redeemable                                                                  
preference                                                                      
shareholders                                                                    
Banking Group      80                   621                                     
Support                                                                         
Total              (340)     (3)        173      2          >(100)              
Normalised         10 398    100        11 309   100                            
earnings                                                                        
(unaudited)                                                                     
CAPITAL POSITION                                                                
Despite the difficult market conditions in the last 12 months, the capital      
adequacy ratios are well within the targeted range for both Tier 1 and Total    
capital adequacy. Credit growth has slowed offering some respite after a        
sustained period of intensive capital consumption; while the de-risking of      
the international businesses resulted in a lower capital requirement. Given     
the deterioration in the credit environment over the past 12 months, the        
Group remains vigilant to the effects of pro-cyclicality introduced by Basel    
II.                                                                             
Momentum`s decision to back its regulatory Capital Adequacy Requirement         
("CAR") with cash assets, while the balance of the shareholders` assets is      
invested in a combination of strategic investment and interest bearing          
assets, has shielded the capital base in declining investment markets.          
Momentum`s CAR was covered 2.2 times by the excess of assets over               
liabilities at 30 June 2008.                                                    
Capital adequacy                                                                
                                                 At 30 June                     
                                                 2008       2007                
Capital adequacy ratio: Banking Group             13.8       13.6               
                                                 Basel II   Basel I             
CAR cover: Momentum Group (Regulatory             2.2        2.3                
requirement: 1.0x)                                                              
PROSPECTS                                                                       
As anticipated six months ago, the Group has had to weather further             
tightening in its operating environments across its franchises. Global and      
local capital markets will continue to see unusually high fluctuations, and     
conditions for the South African consumer will remain difficult.                
Looking forward, it is expected that credit market conditions will continue     
to be challenging. Factors such as the impact of the recent electricity         
price changes and the new municipal rate structures currently being             
introduced will add to consumers` cash flow pressures. Further increases in     
arrears, non performing loans and impairment charges for bad debts are          
forecast for the aggregate credit portfolio.                                    
On a product line basis, the main factors will be the slowdown in the growth    
of house prices and the continued pressure on second hand car prices, which     
respectively impact the defaults and recoveries of the residential mortgage     
and asset finance credit businesses. Unsecured credit is expected to            
continue to be negatively affected by consumers` cash flow pressures,           
however there will be less new business strain due to the slowdown in asset     
growth.                                                                         
Investments in recovery processes and technology have already shown benefits    
in areas such as credit card in the past six months. Repricing initiatives      
for new business, which are well underway in asset finance and home loans,      
are expected to provide some mitigation against the ongoing bad debt            
pressures.                                                                      
The corporate environment is still showing resilience in the current market     
conditions but there is increased pressure on smaller businesses in the SME     
market due to the economic environment. The business environment in the         
large corporate lending areas is expected to remain resilient over the next     
year, but with increasing levels of risk in those segments exposed to the       
consumer.                                                                       
The Banking Group will continue to actively manage its credit portfolio in      
the light of deteriorating macro economic conditions. The focus is on the       
appropriate level of risk appetite that is set in origination strategies and    
the implementation of credit portfolio hedges where appropriate. Stable or      
possibly declining interest rates are expected to provide some support to       
improvements in credit conditions in the second half of the next financial      
year.                                                                           
The strong new business growth experienced over the past few years, together    
with the ongoing product, channel and geographic diversification and recent     
improvements in the relative investment performance, should benefit             
Momentum`s future earnings growth.                                              
The current investment market volatility is expected to continue, which will    
impact on asset based fees, whilst more subdued growth is expected from the     
capital portfolio. New business volumes and the retention of existing           
clients will remain under pressure as the levels of disposable income           
continue to decline.                                                            
In terms of its growth prospects, the Group still believes that, despite its    
high market share in sections of the South African market, there are still      
opportunities to grow organically, particularly in the corporate and            
investment banking segments and certain retail segments such as mass and        
wealth. The Group believes that the interest rate cycle has peaked but it is    
difficult to predict or time the end of the current credit cycle. FirstRand     
is actively managing its businesses to ensure that they are well positioned     
to benefit quickly as the cycle improves. The Group recognises that as          
absolute growth in the topline slows down, an increased focus on                
efficiencies is a critical business imperative.                                 
FirstRand continues to pursue its strategy of seeking growth opportunities      
in markets outside South Africa. It is actively looking at Africa, India and    
Brazil and believes that in the medium term, it can capitalise on a number      
of niche opportunities in those markets.                                        
The Group believes that given the current uncertain market conditions it        
would not be appropriate to provide short and medium term earnings growth       
targets until stability returns to the macro environment and financial          
markets. The board, however, remains committed to delivering superior real      
returns to shareholders over the longer term.                                   
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS                                                               
Subsequent to balance sheet date WesBank reached agreement to dispose of the    
MotorOne Autoloan book in Australia. In terms of the agreement, the Group       
will realise a loss of approximately R114 million, which is in line with        
expectations. The loss will be reported in the Group`s interim results for      
the six months ended 31 December 2008.                                          
BOARD CHANGES                                                                   
Messrs Denis Falck and Robbie Williams have retired from the board with         
effect from 11 September 2008.                                                  
DIVIDEND POLICY                                                                 
Fair value accounting continues to impact earnings volatility, particularly     
in the investment bank. The Group does not wish to expose the dividend to       
this volatility and therefore will focus on a sustainable growth rate in        
dividend. This means that the dividend cover may vary from year to year.        
BASIS OF PRESENTATION                                                           
FirstRand prepares its consolidated financial statements in accordance with     
IFRS, including IAS 34 Interim Financial reporting. The accounting policies     
are consistent with those used in the prior year.                               
The Group believes that normalised earnings more accurately reflect             
operational performance. Headline earnings are adjusted to take into account    
non operational and accounting anomalies.                                       
GT Ferreira        PK Harris                                                    
Chairman           Chief executive officer                                      
ANNUAL REPORT                                                                   
Comprehensive financial information relating to all Group entities will be      
distributed to shareholders in due course. The financial information in this    
announcement has been extracted in a summarised format from the audited         
annual financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2008. The audit          
opinion signed by PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc is available for inspection at     
the company secretary`s office.                                                 
CASH DIVIDEND DECLARATION                                                       
Ordinary shares                                                                 
The following ordinary cash dividends were declared in respect of the 2008      
and 2007 financial years:                                                       
                                     Year ended 30 June                         
Cents per share                       2008       2007                           
Interim (declared 3 March 2008)       44.25      39.50                          
Final (declared 15 September 2008)*   38.25      43.00                          
                                     82.50      82.50                           
* The last day to trade in FirstRand shares on a cum-dividend basis in          
respect of the final dividend will be Friday,17 October 2008 and the first      
day to trade ex-dividend will be Monday, 20 October 2008. The record date       
will be Friday, 24 October 2008 and the payment date will be Monday, 27         
October 2008. No dematerialisation or rematerialisation of shares may be        
done during the period Monday, 20 October 2008 to Friday, 24 October 2008,      
both days inclusive.                                                            
Preference shares                                                               
Dividends on the "B" preference shares are calculated at a rate of 68% of       
the FNB prime lending rate. The following dividends have been declared for      
payment:                                                                        
                                        "B"           "B1"                      
                                        Preference    Preference                
Cents per share                          2008          2008                     
Period 28 August 2007 - 25 February      477.77        477.77                   
2008                                                                            
Period 26 February 2008 - 25 August      511.30        511.30                   
2008                                                                            
AH Arnott                                                                       
Company secretary                                                               
15 September 2008                                                               
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT                                                   
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                                                      
R million                               2008         2007      % change         
Continuing operations                                                           
Interest and similar income             55 009       45 324    21               
Interest expense and similar charges    (31 830)     (25 821)  23               
Net interest income before impairment   23 179       19 503    19               
of advances                                                                     
Impairment of advances                  (5 064)      (2 857)   77               
Net interest income after impairment    18 115       16 646    9                
of advances                                                                     
Non interest income                     22 471       47 709    (53)             
Net insurance premium income            5 374        5 081     6                
Net claims and benefits paid            (5 530)      (5 590)   (1)              
Increase in value of policyholder       (701)        (25 535)  (97)             
liabilities                                                                     
Income from operations                  39 729       38 311    4                
Operating expenses                      (26 189)     (23 288)  12               
Net income from operations              13 540       15 023    (10)             
Share of profit of associates and       1 662        2 198     (24)             
joint ventures                                                                  
Profit before tax                       15 202       17 221    (12)             
Tax                                     (3 037)      (5 216)   (42)             
Profit from continuing operations       12 165       12 005    1                
Discontinued operations                                                         
Profit after tax from discontinued      868          1 073     (19)             
operation                                                                       
Profit for the year                     13 033       13 078    <(1)             
Attributable to:                                                                
Non cumulative non redeemable           409          348       18               
preference shareholders                                                         
Ordinary shareholders                   11 309       11 511    (2)              
Equity holders of the Group             11 718       11 859    (1)              
Minority interest                       1 315        1 219     8                
Profit for the year                     13 033       13 078    <(1)             
STATEMENT OF HEADLINE EARNINGS FROM CONTINUING AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS      
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                                                      
R million                              2008       2007      % change            
Attributable earnings to ordinary      11 309     11 511    (2)                 
shareholders                                                                    
Adjusted for:                          (1 387)    (657)     >(100)              
Profit on disposal of available-for-   (98)       (863)                         
sale assets                                                                     
Profit on sale of shares in            (678)      (78)                          
subsidiary and associate                                                        
Net asset value in excess of purchase  (24)       -                             
price of subsidiaries                                                           
Profit on disposal of property and     (4)        (8)                           
equipment                                                                       
Impairment of intangible assets        104        55                            
Impairment of goodwill                 33         61                            
VISA listing                           (1 052)    -                             
Other                                  29         -                             
Total tax effects of adjustments       257        106                           
Total minority interest of             46         70                            
adjustments                                                                     
Headline earnings                      9 922      10 854    (9)                 
Adjusted for:                          661        991       (33)                
Discovery BEE transaction              5          19                            
IFRS 2 Share based expenses            153        401                           
Treasury shares                        503        543                           
- adjustment for effective             (17)       (50)                          
shareholding in Discovery                                                       
- consolidation of staff share         517        372                           
schemes                                                                         
- FirstRand shares held by             3          221                           
policyholders                                                                   
Adjustment of listed property          -          28                            
associates to net asset value                                                   
Normalised earnings (unaudited)        10 583     11 845    (11)                
Segmental normalised earnings                                                   
Banking Group                          8 814      10 089    (13)                
Momentum Group                         2 004      1 668     20                  
Discovery Group                        185        536       (65)                
FirstRand Limited (company)            (11)       (100)     (89)                
Dividend paid to non cumulative non    (409)      (348)     18                  
redeemable preference shareholders                                              
Normalised earnings (unaudited)        10 583     11 845    (11)                
Segmental headline earnings                                                     
Banking Group                          8 701      9 752     (11)                
Momentum Group                         1 979      1 610     23                  
Discovery Group                        185        556       (67)                
FirstRand Limited (company)            (14)       (123)     (89)                
Consolidation of staff share schemes   (517)      (372)     39                  
Dividend paid to non cumulative non    (409)      (348)     18                  
redeemable preference shareholders                                              
Consolidation of treasury shares held  (3)        (221)     >(100)              
by policyholders                                                                
Headline earnings                      9 922      10 854    (9)                 
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY                                                  
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                                                      
                                     Share                                      
capital   General  Cash      Share         
                                     and                flow      based         
                 Share     Share     share     risk     hedge     payment       
R million         capital   premium   premium   reserve  reserve   reserve      
Balance as at     51        3 584     3 635     1 136    176       2 128        
30 June 2006                                                                    
Issue of share    -         -         -         -        -         -            
capital                                                                         
Conversion of                                                                   
convertible                                                                     
redeemable        -         (164)     (164)     -        -         -            
preference                                                                      
shares                                                                          
Share issue       -         -         -         -        -         -            
expenses                                                                        
Currency          -         -         -         -        -         -            
translation                                                                     
differences                                                                     
Movement in       -         -         -         -        -         -            
revaluation                                                                     
reserves                                                                        
Movement in       -         -         -         -        6         237          
other reserves                                                                  
Profit for the    -         -         -         -        -         -            
year                                                                            
Ordinary          -         -         -         -        -         -            
dividends                                                                       
Preference        -         -         -         -        -         -            
dividends                                                                       
Transfer          -         -         -         215      (51)      -            
(to)/from                                                                       
reserves                                                                        
Effect of                                                                       
change in                                                                       
shareholding                                                                    
in subsidiary     -         -         -         -        -         -            
Contribution      -         -         -         -        -         -            
from parent                                                                     
company                                                                         
Reserve                                                                         
movements                                                                       
transferred to                                                                  
the income        -         -         -         -        -         -            
statement                                                                       
Consolidation     -         (1 082)   (1 082)   -        -         -            
of share trusts                                                                 
Balance as at     51        2 338     2 389     1 351    131       2 365        
30 June 2007                                                                    
Conversion of                                                                   
convertible                                                                     
redeemable        1         -         1         -        -         -            
preference                                                                      
shares                                                                          
Currency          -         -         -         -        -         -            
translation                                                                     
differences                                                                     
Movement in       -         -         -         -        132       -            
revaluation                                                                     
reserves                                                                        
Movement in       -         -         -         -        -         111          
other reserves                                                                  
Profit for the    -         -         -         -        -         -            
year                                                                            
Ordinary          -         -         -         -        -         -            
dividends                                                                       
Preference        -         -         -         -        -         -            
dividends                                                                       
Transfer          -         -         -         (1 343)  -         (77)         
(to)/from                                                                       
reserves                                                                        
Effect of                                                                       
change in                                                                       
shareholding                                                                    
in subsidiary     -         (1)       (1)       -        -         -            
Subsidiary                                                                      
sold/unbundled                                                                  
-                                                                               
Discovery         -         (1 201)   (1 201)   -        -         (151)        
Contribution      -         -         -         -        -         -            
from parent                                                                     
company                                                                         
Non                                                                             
distributable                                                                   
reserves                                                                        
of associates     -         -         -         -        -         -            
Reserve                                                                         
movements                                                                       
transferred                                                                     
to the income     -         -         -         -        339       -            
statement                                                                       
Consolidation     -         (100)     (100)     -        -         -            
of share trusts                                                                 
Balance as at     52        1 036     1 088     8        602       2 248        
30 June 2008                                                                    
                  Available-    Currency       Other non                        
                  for-sale      translation    distributable   Retained         
R million          reserve       reserve        reserves        earnings        
Balance as at 30   1 003         575            159             23 199          
June 2006                                                                       
Issue of share     -             -              -               -               
capital                                                                         
Conversion of                                                                   
convertible                                                                     
redeemable         -             -              -               164             
preference                                                                      
shares                                                                          
Share issue        -             -              -               -               
expenses                                                                        
Currency           -             10             -               -               
translation                                                                     
differences                                                                     
Movement in        869           -              -               -               
revaluation                                                                     
reserves                                                                        
Movement in        -             -              (32)            3               
other reserves                                                                  
Profit for the     -             -              -               11 511          
year                                                                            
Ordinary           -             -              -               (3 795)         
dividends                                                                       
Preference         -             -              -               -               
dividends                                                                       
Transfer           44            -              47              (255)           
(to)/from                                                                       
reserves                                                                        
Effect of change                                                                
in shareholding                                                                 
in subsidiary      -             -              (337)           355             
Contribution       -             -              -               -               
from parent                                                                     
company                                                                         
Reserve                                                                         
movements                                                                       
transferred to                                                                  
the income         (732)         -              -           -                   
statement                                                                       
Consolidation of   -             -              (425)       430                 
share trusts                                                                    
Balance as at 30   1 184         585            (588)       31 612              
June 2007                                                                       
Conversion of                                                                   
convertible                                                                     
redeemable         -             -              -           -                   
preference                                                                      
shares                                                                          
Currency           -             780            -           -                   
translation                                                                     
differences                                                                     
Movement in        737           -              (15)        -                   
revaluation                                                                     
reserves                                                                        
Movement in        -             -              62                              
other reserves                                                                  
Profit for the     -             -              -           11 309              
year                                                                            
Ordinary           -             -              -           (4 523)             
dividends                                                                       
Preference         -             -              -           -                   
dividends                                                                       
Transfer           -             -              -           1 420               
(to)/from                                                                       
reserves                                                                        
Effect of change                                                                
in shareholding                                                                 
in subsidiary      -             -              (48)        (57)                
Subsidiary                                                                      
sold/unbundled -                                                                
Discovery          (426)         -              385         (2 051)             
Contribution       -             -              -           -                   
from parent                                                                     
company                                                                         
Non                                                                             
distributable                                                                   
reserves                                                                        
of associates      -        -            19          -                          
Reserve                                                                         
movements                                                                       
transferred                                                                     
to the income      (388)    -            -           -                          
statement                                                                       
Consolidation of   -        -            -           227                        
share trusts                                                                    
Balance as at 30   1 107    1 365        (185)       37 937                     
June 2008                                                                       
Capital and                                               
                      reserves                                                  
                      attributable    Preference                                
                      to ordinary     share-                                    
equity         holders`    Minority    Total             
R million              holders          funds       interest   equity           
Balance as at 30 June  32 011          4 519       2 974       39 504           
2006                                                                            
Issue of share         -               -           45          45               
capital                                                                         
Conversion of                                                                   
convertible                                                                     
redeemable preference  -               -           -           -                
shares                                                                          
Share issue expenses   -               -           (1)         (1)              
Currency translation   10              -           (7)         3                
differences                                                                     
Movement in            869             -           83          952              
revaluation reserves                                                            
Movement in other      214             -           10          224              
reserves                                                                        
Profit for the year    11 511          348         1 219       13 078           
Ordinary dividends     (3 795)         -           (747)       (4 542)          
Preference dividends   -               (348)       -           (348)            
Transfer (to)/from     -               -           51          51               
reserves                                                                        
Effect of change in                                                             
shareholding                                                                    
in subsidiary          18              -           26          44               
Contribution from      -               -           19          19               
parent company                                                                  
Reserve movements                                                               
transferred to                                                                  
the income statement   (732)           -           -           (732)            
Consolidation of       (1 077)         -           -           (1 077)          
share trusts                                                                    
Balance as at 30 June  39 029          4 519       3 672       47 220           
2007                                                                            
Conversion of                                                                   
convertible                                                                     
redeemable preference  1               -           -           1                
shares                                                                          
Currency translation   780             -           56          836              
differences                                                                     
Movement in            854             -           (60)        794              
revaluation reserves                                                            
Movement in other      173             -           32          205              
reserves                                                                        
Profit for the year    11 309          409         1 315       13 033           
Ordinary dividends     (4 523)         -           (692)       (5 215)          
Preference dividends   -               (409)       -           (409)            
Transfer (to)/from     -               -           -           -                
reserves                                                                        
Effect of change in                                                             
shareholding                                                                    
in subsidiary          (106)           -           141         35               
Subsidiary                                                                      
sold/unbundled -                                                                
Discovery              (3 444)         -           (2 100)     (5 544)          
Contribution from      -               -           12          12               
parent company                                                                  
Non distributable                                                               
reserves                                                                        
of associates          19              -           1           20               
Reserve movements                                                               
transferred                                                                     
to the income          (49)            -           -           (49)             
statement                                                                       
Consolidation of       127             -           -           127              
share trusts                                                                    
Balance as at 30 June  44 170          4 519       2 377       51 066           
2008                                                                            
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET                                                      
AS AT 30 JUNE                                                                   
R million                                        2008          2007             
ASSETS                                                                          
Cash and short term funds                        48 486        46 952           
Derivative financial instruments                 64 314        33 244           
Advances                                         446 286       387 020          
Investment securities and other investments      214 353       213 875          
Commodities                                      1 916         1 118            
Accounts receivable                              8 093         9 257            
Investments in associates and joint ventures     13 303        11 809           
Property and equipment                           8 859         6 411            
Deferred tax asset                               1 456         1 306            
Intangible assets and deferred acquisition       4 497         4 302            
costs                                                                           
Investment properties                            3 808         2 356            
Policy loans on insurance contracts              212           166              
Reinsurance assets                               550           595              
Tax asset                                        833           34               
Assets arising from insurance contracts          -             3 114            
Non current assets held for sale                 3 092         -                
Total assets                                     820 058       721 559          
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES                                                          
Liabilities                                                                     
Deposits                                         488 423       421 568          
Short trading positions                          33 450        32 175           
Derivative financial instruments                 51 595        24 139           
Creditors and accruals                           13 051        13 887           
Provisions                                       3 275         3 598            
Tax liability                                    666           1 368            
Post retirement benefit fund liability           1 980         1 882            
Deferred tax liability                           5 372         6 279            
Long term liabilities                            13 941        9 250            
Reinsurance liabilities                          -             20               
Policyholder liabilities under insurance         43 417        46 979           
contracts                                                                       
Policyholder liabilities under investment        110 784       111 239          
contracts                                                                       
Liabilities arising to third parties as a        2 742         1 568            
result of consolidating unit trusts                                             
Deferred revenue liability                       296           387              
Total liabilities                                768 992       674 339          
Equity                                                                          
Capital and reserves attributable to equity                                     
holders                                                                         
Ordinary shares                                  52            51               
Share premium                                    1 036         2 338            
Reserves                                         43 082        36 640           
Capital and reserves attributable to ordinary    44 170        39 029           
equity holders                                                                  
Non cumulative non redeemable preference shares  4 519         4 519            
Capital and reserves attributable to equity      48 689        43 548           
holders                                                                         
Minority interest                                2 377         3 672            
Total equity                                     51 066        47 220           
Total equity and liabilities                     820 058       721 559          
SOURCES OF NORMALISED EARNINGS FROM CONTINUING AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS      
(unaudited) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                                          
                            % compo-           % compo-                         
R million           2008     sition    2007     sition   % change               
FNB                 4 654    44        4 245    36       10                     
RMB                 3 008    28        3 868    33       (22)                   
WesBank             573      5         918      8        (38)                   
FNB Africa          499      5         437      3        14                     
Momentum            1 741    17        1 471    12       18                     
Insurance           1 459              1 145                                    
operations                                                                      
Asset management    282                326                                      
operations                                                                      
Group Support       343      3         818      7        (58)                   
Banking Group       80                 621                                      
Momentum Group      263                197                                      
FirstRand Limited   (11)     -         (100)    (1)      (89)                   
(company)                                                                       
Dividend payment    (409)    (4)       (348)    (3)      18                     
to non cumulative                                                               
non redeemable                                                                  
preference                                                                      
shareholders                                                                    
Normalised          10 398   98        11 309   95       (8)                    
earnings from                                                                   
continuing                                                                      
operations                                                                      
Discovery           185      2         536      5        (65)                   
Normalised          10 583   100       11 845   100      (11)                   
earnings from                                                                   
continuing and                                                                  
discontinued                                                                    
operations                                                                      
CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE                     
R million                                         2008          2007            
Cash flows from operating activities                                            
Cash receipts from customers                      75 755        67 979          
Cash paid to customers, suppliers and employees   (56 279)      (48 214)        
Dividends received                                4 461         1 952           
Dividends paid                                    (4 523)       (3 795)         
Net cash flows from operating activities          19 414        17 922          
Increase in income earning assets                 (63 226)      (86 700)        
Increase in deposits and other liabilities        55 647        82 063          
Net cash generated from operations                (7 579)       (4 637)         
Tax paid                                          (4 715)       (3 912)         
Net cash inflow from operating activities        7 120          9 373           
Cash flows from investment activities                                           
Purchase of property and equipment                (4 056)       (2 193)         
Proceeds on disposal of property and equipment    320           59              
Purchase of investment properties                 (1 706)       (175)           
Proceeds on disposal of investment properties     375           988             
Proceeds on disposal of investments               182           -               
Proceeds on disposal of subsidiary                697           -               
Acquisition of subsidiaries                       (1 526)       (5 143)         
Purchase of associates and joint ventures         (3 623)       (3 274)         
Proceeds on disposal of associates and joint      1 439         -               
ventures                                                                        
Purchase of intangible assets                     (678)         (149)           
Net cash outflow from investment activities       (8 576)       (9 887)         
Cash flows from financing activities                                            
Proceeds from/(repayment of) long term            3 129         (102)           
liabilities                                                                     
Net cash inflow/(outflow) from financing          3 129         (102)           
activities                                                                      
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash          1 673         (616)           
equivalents                                                                     
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of    46 952         46 684          
the year                                                                        
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the      48 625         46 068          
year                                                                            
Cash and cash equivalents sold                   (695)         -                
Cash and cash equivalents purchased              139           884              
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and      417           -                
cash equivalents                                                                
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the      48 486        46 952           
year                                                                            
STATEMENT OF HEADLINE EARNINGS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS (PRO FORMA)           
(UNAUDITED)                                                                     
for the year ended 30 June                                                      
R million                           2008     2007       % change                
Attributable earnings to            10 581   10 838     (2)                     
shareholders                                                                    
Adjusted for:                       (844)    (540)      56                      
Profit on disposal of available-    (7)      (649)                              
for-sale assets                                                                 
Profit on sale of shares in         (108)    (78)                               
subsidiary and associate                                                        
Net asset value in excess of        (24)     -                                  
purchase price of subsidiaries                                                  
Profit on disposal of property      (4)      (8)                                
and equipment                                                                   
Impairment of intangible assets     104      55                                 
Impairment of goodwill              33       61                                 
VISA listing                        (1 052)  -                                  
Other                               29       -                                  
Total tax effects of adjustments    169      79                                 
Total minority interest of          16       -                                  
adjustments                                                                     
Headline earnings                   9 737    10 298     (5)                     
Adjusted for:                       661      1 011      (35)                    
IFRS 2 share based expenses         141      390                                
Treasury shares                     520      593                                
- consolidation of staff share      517      372                                
schemes                                                                         
- FirstRand shares held by          3        221                                
policyholders                                                                   
Adjustment of listed property       -        28                                 
subsidiary and associate to net                                                 
asset value                                                                     
Normalised earnings                 10 398   11 309     (8)                     
Normalised earnings per share                                                   
(cents)                                                                         
- Basic                             184.5    200.7      (8)                     
- Diluted                           184.4    200.6      (8)                     
Earnings per share (cents)                                                      
- Basic                             204.2    209.8      (3)                     
- Diluted                           200.3    203.9      (2)                     
Headline earnings per share                                                     
(cents)                                                                         
- Basic                             187.9    199.4      (6)                     
- Diluted                           184.3    193.7      (5)                     
Return on equity (%)                21.9     28.9                               
Average normalised net asset        47 449   39 199     21                      
value excluding Discovery                                                       
Normalised earnings                 10 398   11 309     (8)                     
DESCRIPTION OF NORMALISED EARNINGS                                              
The Group believes normalised earnings more accurately reflect operational      
performance. Headline earnings are adjusted to take into account non            
operational and accounting anomalies.                                           
These unaudited adjustments are consistent with those reported at 30 June       
2007.                                                                           
Discovery BEE transaction                                                       
In December 2005, Discovery issued 38.7 million shares in terms of its BEE      
transaction. The special purpose vehicles                                       
and trusts to which these shares have been issued have been accounted for as    
share options of Discovery, eliminating the shares issued as treasury           
shares.                                                                         
The normalised adjustment:                                                      
* adds back the IFRS 2 charge; and                                              
* adds back the treasury shares effect.                                         
Treasury shares: Effective shareholding in Discovery Holdings Limited           
Discovery consolidates in its results treasury shares relating to their BEE     
transaction, which effectively increases FirstRand`s share in Discovery from    
57.1% to 62.3%. This adjustment is to reflect the actual shareholding in        
Discovery                                                                       
at 57.1%.                                                                       
Share based payments and treasury shares: Consolidation of staff share          
schemes                                                                         
IFRS 2 - Share based payments requires that all share based payments            
transactions for goods or services received must be expensed with effect        
from financial periods commencing on or after 1 January 2005. FirstRand         
hedges itself against the price risk of the FirstRand share price in the        
various staff share schemes. The staff schemes purchase FirstRand shares in     
the open market to ensure the company is not exposed to the increase in the     
FirstRand share price. Consequently, the cost to FirstRand is the funding       
cost of the purchases of FirstRand`s shares by the staff share trust. These     
trusts are consolidated and FirstRand shares held by the staff share scheme     
are treated as treasury shares. For purposes of calculating the normalised      
earnings, the consolidation entries are reversed and the Group shares held      
by the staff share schemes are treated as issued to parties external to the     
Group.                                                                          
The normalised adjustments:                                                     
* adds back the IFRS 2 charge; and                                              
* adds back the treasury shares effect.                                         
Treasury shares: FirstRand shares held by policyholders                         
FirstRand shares held by Momentum Group and Discovery Life are invested for     
the risk and reward of its policyholders, not its shareholders, and             
consequently the Group`s shareholders are not exposed to the fair value         
changes on these shares. In terms of IAS 32, FirstRand Limited and Discovery    
Holdings Limited shares held by Momentum Group and Discovery Life on behalf     
of policyholders are deemed to be treasury shares for accounting purposes.      
The corresponding movement in the policyholder liabilities is, however, not     
eliminated, resulting in a mismatch in the overall equity and income            
statement of the Group.                                                         
Increases in the fair value of Group shares and dividends declared on these     
shares increases the liability to policyholders. The increase in the            
liability to policyholders is accounted for in the income statement. The        
increase in assets held to match the liability position is eliminated. For      
purposes of calculating the normalised earnings, the adjustments described      
above are reversed and the Group shares held on behalf of policyholders are     
treated as issued to parties external to the Group.                             
Adjustment of listed property associates                                        
Momentum`s investments in its listed property associates (Emira and             
Freestone) are adjusted from fair value to net asset value in the Group         
consolidated financial statements until 31 December 2006. The policyholder      
liabilities are mainly based on the fair value of the units held, resulting     
in a mismatch between policyholder assets and liabilities that is reflected     
as a non operational item outside of normalised earnings.                       
Since 1 January 2007, these investments in associates were reflected at fair    
value, as these assets back linked policyholder liabilities in terms of IAS     
28.                                                                             
additional information is available at                                          
www.firstrand.co.za                                                             
Directors:                                                                      
GT Ferreira (Chairman), PK Harris (CEO), VW Bartlett, DJA Craig (British),      
LL Dippenaar, DM Falck, PM Goss, Dr NN Gwagwa, G Moloi, AP Nkuna, SE            
Nxasana, AT?Nzimande, KB?Schoeman, KC Shubane, RK Store, BJ van der Ross, Dr    
F van Zyl Slabbert, RA Williams.                                                
Secretary: AH Arnott                                                            
Registered office:                                                              
4th Floor, 4 Merchant Place, 1 Fredman Drive, Sandton, 2196                     
Postal address:                                                                 
PO Box 786273, Sandton, 2146, Telephone: +27 11 282 1808,                       
Telefax: +27 11 282 8088                                                        
Web address:                                                                    
www.firstrand.co.za                                                             
Sponsor:                                                                        
RAND MERCHANT BANK (a division of FirstRand Bank Limited)                       
Date: 16/09/2008 08:00:01 Produced by the JSE SENS Department.                  
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