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Tue 28 Feb 2012, 8:00 FSR/FSRP - FirstRand - Unaudited Interim Results and Cash Dividend
FSR   FSRP
FSR                                                                             
FSR/FSRP - FirstRand - Unaudited Interim Results and Cash Dividend              
Declaration for the six months ended 31 December 2011                           
FirstRand Limited                                                               
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)                                  
(Registration No: 1966/010753/06)                                               
JSE share code: FSR ISIN: ZAE0000066304                                         
JSE "B" Preference share code: FSRP ISIN: ZAE000060141                          
NSX share code: FST                                                             
("FirstRand" or "the Group")                                                    
Certain entities within the FirstRand Group are Authorised Financial            
Services and Credit Providers                                                   
UNAUDITED INTERIM RESULTS AND CASH DIVIDEND DECLARATION FOR THE SIX MONTHS      
ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2011                                                          
KEY FINANCIALS                                                                  
- Normalised earnings R5 771 million + 26%                                      
- Normalised ROE 19.5%                                                          
- Dividend per share 44.0 cents + 26%                                           
Introduction                                                                    
This announcement covers the unaudited financial results of FirstRand           
Limited (FirstRand or the Group) based on International Financial Reporting     
Standards (IFRS) for the six months ended 31 December 2011, as well as the      
normalised results of the Group, 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, and WesBank, the instalment finance business.                  
The primary results and accompanying commentary are presented on a              
continuing normalised basis as the Group believes this most accurately          
reflects its economic performance. The continuing normalised operations         
specifically exclude the profit on unbundling of Momentum, the earnings         
contribution of Momentum, the profit on disposal of OUTsurance, as well as      
the earnings contribution of OUTsurance for the comparative periods. A          
detailed description of the normalised results is provided on                   
www.firstrand.co.za. Commentary is based on the continuing normalised           
results, unless indicated otherwise.                                            
Financial highlights                                                            
                      Six months ended          Year                            
                     31 December              ended                             
                                               30 June                          
2011     2010    % change  2011                           
Normalised earnings     5 771    4 572  +26        10 117                       
(R million)                                                                     
Diluted normalised     102.4    81.1     +26      179.4                         
earnings per share                                                              
(cents)                                                                         
Normalised net asset   1 053.0  924.4    +14       1 044.0                      
value per share                                                                 
(cents)                                                                         
Dividend per ordinary 44.0      35.0    +26       81.0                          
share (cents) from                                                              
continuing operations                                                           
Normalised return on  19.5      18.0              18.7                          
equity %                                                                        
Introduction                                                                    
The fragile global economic recovery that began in 2009 has been impacted       
by a number of headwinds and risks in the six months to December 2011. The      
global business cycle was negatively affected by a few unprecedented            
events, such as the downgrade of the USA`s credit rating and the crisis in      
the Eurozone. Business and consumer sentiment and risk appetite were            
further depressed by increased concern that China would experience a            
significant slowdown in growth.                                                 
The global economy continued to register positive, if slower, growth rates      
over the period, however, the outlook remains uncertain. Developed markets      
continue to experience muted growth and have limited policy space to            
support further expansion. Although lower inflation and the easing of           
monetary policy should support growth in emerging economies, some of these      
countries continue to face structural risks associated with their growth        
models.                                                                         
Against this backdrop, growth rates in South Africa also moderated. Local       
factors further amplified the effect of the global slowdown as significant      
industrial action in the third quarter of 2011 depressed manufacturing and      
mining output. Households continued to drive the expansion supported by         
real income growth, while capital investment and overall corporate activity     
remained subdued, albeit with pockets of moderate growth. Credit extension      
recorded single digit growth, which was below increases in nominal GDP. The     
risks to growth and stable core inflation over the period resulted in the       
SARB maintaining a monetary policy stance designed to stimulate economic        
activity.                                                                       
Africa`s economic recovery is continuing and, excluding South Africa, GDP       
in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow between 5% and 6% for the current     
financial year, making it one of the developing regions with the highest        
growth prospects.                                                               
Overview of results                                                             
Despite this challenging background, FirstRand produced excellent results       
for the six months to 31 December 2011, achieving normalised earnings of        
R5.8 billion, an increase of 26% on the comparative period, and producing a     
normalised return on equity (ROE) of 19.5% (2010: 18.0%).                       
With regards to the Group`s overall performance, the unwind of bad debts        
continued to impact positively on the results of the retail franchises of       
FNB and WesBank. However, on a rolling six-month basis, the impairment          
charge benefit was flat. The increase in earnings was delivered through         
very strong operational performances from FNB and WesBank, driven by loan       
and customer deposit growth, new customer acquisition, expanding lending        
margins and robust transactional volumes.                                       
RMB (including Global Transactional Services (GTS), previously FNB`s            
Corporate Transactional Banking activities), experienced a 14% decline in       
profit before tax which the Group considers a very creditable performance       
given the tough trading environment and the high base created in recent         
years.                                                                          
The table below shows a breakdown of sources of normalised earnings.            
Sources of normalised earnings                                                  
                    Six months ended          %         Year ended              
                   31 December               change   30 June                   
R million             2011   % com-  2010   % com-          2011   % com-       
                         posi-         posi-                position            
                         tion          tion                                     
                                                                                
Total FNB             3 364  58      2 658   58     27      5 327  53           
- FNB South Africa    3 072  53      2 342   51     31      4 787  47           
- FNB Africa          292    5       316     7      (8)     540    6            
RMB and GTS           1 457  25      1 679   37     (13)    3 839  38           
WesBank               1 193  21      750     16     59      1 862  18           
Corporate Centre and  (351)  (6)     (365)   (8)    (4)     (708)  (7)          
consolidation                                                                   
adjustments                                                                     
FirstRand Limited     245    4       10      -      >100    98     1            
(company)                                                                       
NCNR preference       (137)  (2)     (160)   (3)    (14)    (301)  (3)          
dividend                                                                        
Normalised earnings   5 771  100     4 572   100    26      10 117 100          
from normalised                                                                 
continuing                                                                      
operations                                                                      
The Group`s income statement benefited from an excellent increase of 22% in     
net interest income (NII). This was driven by good growth in advances at        
FNB, WesBank and RMB. In addition, the Group`s asset margins expanded due       
to the change in mix with a larger contribution from vehicle and asset          
finance (VAF) and unsecured lending. Margins also continued to be               
positively impacted by ongoing re-pricing strategies in the large retail        
lending books such as vehicle and asset finance and residential mortgages.      
NII growth included the benefit from the non-recurrence of a mark-to-market     
loss on funding instruments incurred in the comparative period. Excluding       
this impact, NII increased 17% year-on-year.                                    
Total non-interest revenue (NIR) was marginally down on the comparative         
period as a result of RMB`s subdued performance. However, fee and               
commission income at FNB and WesBank was stronger than expected, increasing     
17% on the comparative period and driven by ongoing new customer                
acquisition and strong transactional volumes (particularly through the          
electronic channels) at FNB and fees generated on higher new business           
volumes at WesBank.                                                             
As a result of the continued focus on cost containment, total Group             
operating expenses increased only 9%, which is in line with targets. Core       
operational costs increased only 6%. The cost-to-income ratio improved          
marginally to 54.7% (2010: 54.8%).                                              
The Group`s balance sheet continued to show reasonable overall growth in        
advances reflecting robust new business volumes. The following portfolios       
showed particularly good growth as a result of the Group`s strategy to grow     
its lending books in certain targeted segments.                                 
R billion                                                 New                   
                                                       business                 
                                                                                
Unsecured lending in FNB`s Mass and Consumer segments    6.1                    
(excluding Card)                                                                
Unsecured lending at WesBank                             2.0                    
VAF at WesBank                                           24.1                   
RMB`s structured lending book                            23.7                   
Despite the growth in unsecured lending, this is still coming off a very        
low base and total unsecured loans (excluding Card) across all of the           
retail portfolios represent a small portion (3%) of total advances.             
Overview of operating franchises                                                
FirstRand`s vision is to be the African financial services group of choice,     
creating long-term franchise value and delivering superior and sustainable      
economic returns to shareholders within acceptable levels of volatility.        
This is achieved through two parallel growth strategies:                        
- become a predominant South African player focusing on both existing           
markets and those markets where the business is currently under-                
represented; and                                                                
- further grow the existing African franchise, targeting those markets          
expected to produce above average domestic growth and are strongly              
positioned to benefit from the trade and investment flows between Africa        
and Asia, particularly China and India.                                         
These strategies are executed through the Group`s operating franchises,         
within a strategic framework set by the Group. During the year these            
franchises continued to make good progress against this strategic intent        
and below is a brief overview of each.                                          
FNB                                                                             
FNB`s strategy is to grow its domestic franchise in market segments where       
it is currently under-represented and target selective African countries        
and India for investment. It enters these markets focusing on innovative        
products and delivery channels, especially favouring electronic platforms.      
FNB                            Six months ended   %         Year                
South Africa                   31 December        change    ended               
                                                         30 June                
R million                      2011      2010*               2011               
                                                                                
Normalised earnings            3 072     2 342     31        4 787              
Profit before tax              4 137     3 178     30        6 529              
Total assets                   228 124   209 333   9         220 525            
Total liabilities              223 600   205 828   9         213 833            
Credit impairment charge (%)   1.01      1.28                1.21               
ROE (%)                        37.7      34.0                34.9               
* Prior year restated to exclude GTS.                                           
FNB South Africa produced a strong performance for the year, growing pre-       
tax profits 30% and producing a normalised ROE of 38%.                          
The strong growth in NIR of 14% reflects FNB`s strategy to grow customers       
(+5%) and transactional volumes (+10%), which has been achieved through         
FNB`s relentless introduction of innovative products and channels to            
market. The growth in transactional volumes also reflects the ongoing           
migration by customers to less expensive electronic channels as a direct        
result of FNB`s strategy to encourage customers (particularly through           
pricing) to use these cheaper channels. NIR also benefited from good market     
share gains and growth in revenue from alternative sources, such as prepaid     
commissions and insurance.                                                      
NII increased robustly as a result of strong deposit balance growth             
slightly offset by reduced endowment margins, some advances growth with         
particularly good growth in unsecured lending, which resulted in margin         
expansion and lower suspended interest on NPLs. Advances growth was muted       
in HomeLoans (flat) and Card (6%).                                              
FNB`s costs for the period grew at only 10% despite ongoing investment in       
the business, such as the rollout of the EasyPlan infrastructure,               
innovative mobile platforms and customer acquisition strategies. There          
remains a firm focus on cost reduction in those business units that are         
experiencing pressure on revenues, however, investment will continue in         
areas of the business where growth opportunities exist.                         
Impairments continued to improve, which is largely attributable to the          
ongoing recovery in HomeLoans, and the decrease in NPLs and arrears and         
ongoing post write-off recoveries in Card Issuing.                              
FNB continued to execute on certain growth strategies and other operational     
initiatives during the period under review. For example, the Mass segment       
sustained its rollout of EasyPlan, which represents an appropriate low-cost     
banking offering to this segment. In both the Mass and Consumer segments,       
FNB has focused on unsecured lending products where it is coming off a          
historically low base. Innovative products and reward programmes have           
driven good growth in customers and transactional volumes in the Consumer       
segment.                                                                        
FNB Africa                      Six months ended   %         Year               
                              31 December        change    ended                
30 June               
R million                       2011      2010                2011              
                                                                                
Normalised earnings             292       316       (8)       540               
Profit before tax               763       740       3         1 350             
Total assets                    39 930    33 705    18        35 439            
Total liabilities               35 317    29 448    20        31 493            
Credit impairment charge (%)    0.30      0.18                0.30              
ROE (%)*                        21.7      24.6                21.4              
* ROE based on statutory view.                                                  
Overall, the African subsidiaries performed well despite significant            
investment activity across the portfolio. Both NII and NIR showed good          
growth, however, operating expenses increased 23%, resulting in an overall      
increase in pre-tax profits for the portfolio of 3%. The normalised ROE of      
22% remains above the Group`s target despite the investment in new              
territories.                                                                    
RMB                                                                             
RMB`s ongoing strategic imperatives remain anchored around strengthening        
the client franchise both locally and on the African continent with trading     
and investing activities being scaled appropriately. RMB`s risk appetite        
framework remains central to ensuring that its portfolio continues to           
reflect the appropriate mix of client, trading and investing activities in      
order to preserve and enhance the quality of earnings.                          
RMB and GTS                     Six months ended   %         Year               
31 December        change    ended                
                                                          30 June               
R million                       2011      2010                2011              
                                                                                
Normalised earnings             1 457     1 679     (13)      3 839             
Profit before tax               1 980     2 297     (14)      5 367             
Total assets                    307 708   291 960   5         267 127           
Total liabilities               301 512   288 214   5         260 810           
ROE (%)                         18.1      25.1                28.5              
For the first time, RMB`s results include a contribution from GTS. GTS has      
now been fully aligned with RMB`s existing activities (though it remains        
FNB branded) as part of FirstRand`s strategy to create a full suite of          
integrated Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) products and services for     
large corporates.                                                               
RMB`s pre-tax profits reduced 15% to R1 782 million for the six months to       
December 2011, a very creditable performance given the significant base         
created in previous periods and the current tough macro environment for         
investment banks. The decline is largely attributable to disappointing          
performances in the Resources and  Equities businesses, where downward          
pressures on key sectors impacted profitability.                                
Investment Banking continued to grow despite an already high base, and          
Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities (FICC) produced a robust performance     
showing particularly good growth in structured trading activities. The          
Private Equity portfolio generated sustained earnings from the underlying       
investments, and profits benefited from lower impairments. New investments      
contributed to overall portfolio growth. Equities experienced significant       
pressure in trading activities and positions have been reduced during the       
period. The RMB Resources portfolios were negatively impacted by the            
softening in commodity and resource equity markets resulting in losses.         
GTS produced net income of R198 million, 5% higher than the comparative         
period and achieved in an environment characterised by margin compression,      
which drove financing revenue lower. The contribution from client fee           
revenue grew strongly during the period on the back of higher volumes,          
although pricing remains extremely competitive in this segment. Investment      
in the operating platform continued during the period, placing pressure on      
costs.                                                                          
RMB made good progress at growing its African franchise with a focus on         
building investment banking and trading activities in jurisdictions where       
FNB currently operates, as well as capturing trade and investment flows         
into Africa from key Asian markets, such as India and China. A number of        
transactions in key sectors such as resources, commodities, energy and          
property were concluded in Africa. FICC`s Africa business produced              
excellent results with good growth achieved across the Africa portfolio and     
a particularly strong performance from Botswana.                                
WesBank                                                                         
WesBank continues to focus on its core strategy of partnering with key          
industry players through representation at the point of sale and is             
targeting domestic segments where it remains under-represented, such as         
fleet management and full maintenance rentals (FMR), as well as with larger     
corporate asset finance customers and the public sector.                        
WesBank                         Six months ended   %        Year                
                              31 December        change   ended                 
30 June                
R million                       2011      2010               2011               
                                                                                
Normalised earnings             1 193     750      59        1 862              
Profit before tax*              1 688     1 069    58        2 548              
Total assets                    112 396   99 265   13        104 117            
Total liabilities               109 682   97 461   13        101 171            
Credit impairment charge (%)    1.07      1.63               1.33               
ROE (%)                         29.8      21.5               26.3               
* Excluding profits on disposal of investments.                                 
WesBank`s pre-tax profits increased 58% over the prior year, and 14% over       
the six months ended June 2011, to R1 688 million. This strong performance      
resulted from the continuation of the retail and corporate credit unwind;       
strong new business origination across all portfolios; improved interest        
margins resulting from repricing and growth in the unsecured lending            
portfolio (Personal Loans).                                                     
Bad debts in the local lending business decreased 27% and NPLs decreased        
from 5.1% to 3.7% (June 2011 4.3%).                                             
Advances grew R15.4 billion (16%) as a consequence of the excellent new         
business volumes driven by the buoyant vehicle market, improved consumer        
affordability, the natural replacement cycle and improved consumer and          
business confidence. Origination growth has not been at the expense of          
price or change in risk appetite.                                               
NIR increased 19%, benefiting from the higher new business volumes, growing     
advance volumes and growth in the FMR income.                                   
Cost management remains an important contributor to WesBank`s results.          
Whilst total cost growth for the period was 22%, this is largely related to     
increased new business volumes. Core operating costs in the local lending       
operations increased only 8% over the prior year.                               
MotoNovo (previously branded Carlyle Finance), the UK operation,                
contributed a 44% increase in profits and the business continues to produce     
excellent origination volumes, margins, risk profile and cost management in     
a very tough cycle in the UK market. 20% of the growth in profit is a           
direct result of the devaluation of the Rand against the Pound.                 
Specific growth strategies continue to be pursued in the large corporate        
sector and in FMR. The large corporate sector reflected year-on-year growth     
in new business of 29%, while the FMR business grew number of units under       
management 58% off a moderate base.                                             
Strategic issues                                                                
Progress on domestic and African expansion strategies                           
Given the Group`s size in its domestic market significant focus remains on      
growing its franchises across all the available profit pools in financial       
services within South Africa.                                                   
Many of these strategies are gaining traction. For example, FNB`s EasyPlan      
strategy in the Mass segment is on track in that it is both protecting and      
growing its well-established franchise in that segment. Through positioning     
its low-cost network in the appropriate work and transport nodes,               
delivering a strong transactional banking platform that includes cellphone      
banking, eWallet and ATMs/ADTs, FNB has been successful in retaining            
existing customers and capturing new customers from its competition. FNB is     
also actively growing its lending books both in the unsecured space and in      
affordable housing in the Mass segment. Unsecured advances total R5 billion     
and the affordable housing book totals R9.5 billion.                            
As part of the Group`s overall strategy to grow CIB revenues, following a       
change in its business model to service the large corporate segment, closer     
alignment of GTS with RMB has now been completed. This structural               
adjustment follows the creation of a Client Coverage team, and is already       
resulting in growth in share of the corporate market. A strong                  
transactional banking platform is critical to servicing these customers         
particularly across the FICC and GTS service offerings. Investment is           
continuing in both systems and skills and the Group believes that               
leveraging off the strength of the RMB franchise will create a strong CIB       
presence in the short to medium term.                                           
At WesBank, specific growth strategies in the large corporate sector, are       
delivering new business growth and long-term prospects remain good. WesBank     
believes there are additional incremental growth opportunities in the           
medium corporate environment and specific strategies are being put in place     
in that sector.                                                                 
The Group also seeks to generate incremental growth outside of its domestic     
market. It executes "on the ground" through its operating franchises, and       
enters each market depending on the opportunities presented.                    
FNB continues to invest in the new territories of Mozambique, Zambia and        
Tanzania to ultimately build strong retail and commercial banking               
franchises over the medium term. To this end, it seeks to leverage its          
South African developed products and solutions into the continent. FNB          
continues to assess opportunities in identified priority countries such as      
Nigeria and Ghana. FNB is also exploring some niche growth opportunities in     
India, leveraging off the existing Group platform.                              
RMB recently established a Kenyan representative office, created RMB            
Namibia and started operations in Tanzania, leveraging off the FNB              
platform. The India branch continues to benefit from an increased focus on      
the Africa/India corridor and the broader Asian corridor strategy continues     
to develop. Deals such as the Gold One transaction, which represents the        
largest investment by Chinese investors in the African gold sector, is          
testament to RMB`s ability to deliver investment banking solutions to           
clients in the China/Africa corridor.                                           
WesBank is focusing on growing asset-based finance operations within the        
existing African footprint of the Group, through the global product             
services model. Several opportunities for growth exist in these operations,     
which are expected to gain traction over the medium term.                       
Capital                                                                         
FirstRand`s capital management strategy is aligned to the Group`s overall       
objective to deliver sustainable returns to shareholders within appropriate     
levels of volatility.                                                           
The Group`s current philosophy, given the uncertain macro environment, is       
to operate at the higher end of its targeted capital levels to ensure           
balance sheet resilience. Current targeted levels and ratios are summarised     
in the table below.                                                             
                  FirstRand           FirstRand Bank        Regula-tory         
                                    (FRB)*               minimum                
%                  Actual  Target       Actual#  Target                         
                                                                                
Capital adequacy   15.4    12.0 - 13.5   14.7    11.5 - 13.0   9.5#             
ratio                                                                           
Tier 1 ratio       14.0     11.0         13.0    10.5          7.0              
Core Tier 1 ratio  12.9    9.5 - 11.0   12.0     9.0 - 10.5   5.25              
* Reflects solo supervision, i.e. FirstRand Bank excluding branches             
and subsidiaries.                                                               
# The regulatory minimum excludes the bank-specific (Pillar 2b) add-            
on and capital floor.                                                           
The Group does not seek to hold excess capital for acquisitions, however,       
it has previously indicated to shareholders that it is holding a "buffer"       
for investments in certain growth opportunities already identified in its       
domestic market and in certain African jurisdictions.                           
However, given the current economic conditions in South Africa and the          
subdued credit appetite amongst consumers and corporates, the Group`s           
operating franchises continue to generate good returns at a time when there     
is limited opportunity to grow risk-weighted assets. The Group therefore        
continues to review the appropriate level of payout to shareholders on a        
sustainable basis.                                                              
With regards to the impact of Basel 2.5 and 3, the Group`s level of Core        
Tier 1 capital is sufficient as it has held buffers in anticipation of          
these changes. These buffers will now be allocated to the operating             
franchises as part of the capital allocation and performance management         
processes. This will result in some adjustment to the franchise return          
profiles, however, the Group return profile should not change.                  
Each franchise is undertaking detailed assessments of actions that will be      
taken to optimise returns given their new allocations.                          
Prospects                                                                       
The Group expects the domestic economic conditions to remain subdued for        
the remainder of the current financial year.                                    
Growth in retail advances is likely to remain at current levels with            
mortgage lending expected to lag nominal GDP growth as levels of consumer       
indebtedness remain high, and house prices are expected to reflect negative     
real growth in the short term. In mitigation, the stabilisation of the          
economy at modest growth rates and an ongoing low interest environment will     
result in reasonable growth in unsecured, short-term advances.                  
Given that excess capacity remains in the corporate sector, with limited        
expansionary opportunities, combined with very strong balance sheets across     
the segment, corporate lending is also expected to remain slow.                 
FirstRand expects its domestic franchises to continue to produce good           
organic growth driven by specific strategies in those markets and/or            
segments that are showing above average growth, where the Group is under-       
represented or the ROE is very attractive. However, achieving revenue           
growth is likely to remain a challenge and, therefore, achieving a              
sustainable ROE and cost-to-income ratio continues to be a balancing act        
between investment and cost management.                                         
GDP growth in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to further strengthen in 2012      
and all of the Group`s franchises will continue to capitalise on growth         
opportunities in those countries identified as priorities for expansion.        
FNB will expand the African and Indian operating footprint supported by its     
South African platform and RMB will mine the trade and investment flows         
between Asia and Africa, leveraging off the existing FNB platforms and its      
own operation in India.                                                         
The quality of the Group`s operating franchises and their respective            
strategies domestically and in the rest of Africa should underpin               
FirstRand`s ability to provide shareholders with sustainable returns.           
Board changes                                                                   
Mrs Mary Sina Bomela was appointed to the Board as a non-executive director     
with effect from 24 September 2011. Mrs Bomela joined the Board as a            
shareholder representative of Mineworkers Investment Company, replacing Mr      
Paul Nkuna who resigned from the Board on 31 July 2011, following his           
decision to retire in 2012.                                                     
Dividend strategy                                                               
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       
line with normalised earnings. This means that dividend cover may vary from     
year to year.                                                                   
Basis of presentation                                                           
FirstRand prepares its consolidated interim financial results in accordance     
with:                                                                           
- IFRS including IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting;                            
- the AC 500 standards issued by the Accounting Practices Board;                
- JSE Listing requirements; and                                                 
- the information as required by the Companies Act of South Africa.             
The accounting policies applied are consistent with those applied in            
preparation of previous financial statements.                                   
Alan Hedding, CA (SA), supervised the preparation of the consolidated           
interim financial results.                                                      
The Group believes normalised earnings more accurately reflect operational      
performance. Headline earnings are adjusted to take into account non-           
operational and accounting anomalies. Details of the nature of these            
adjustments and reasons therefore can be found on www.firstrand.co.za.          
Cash dividend declarations                                                      
ORDINARY SHARES                                                                 
The following ordinary cash dividend was declared in respect of the six         
month period ended 31 December 2011.                                            
Six months ended                   
                                            31 December                         
Cents per share                               2011        2010                  
                                                                                
Interim (declared 28 February 2012)           44.00       35.00                 
* The last day to trade in FirstRand shares on a cum-dividend basis             
in respect of the interim dividend will be Thursday, 15 March 2012,             
and the first day to trade ex-dividend will be Friday,     16 March             
2012. The record date will be Friday, 23 March 2012, and the payment            
date Monday, 26 March 2012. No dematerialisation or rematerialisation           
of shares may be done during the period Friday, 16 March 2012, to               
Friday, 23 March 2012, both days inclusive.                                     
PREFERENCE SHARES                                                               
Dividends on the "B" preference shares are calculated at a rate of 68% of       
the prime lending rate of FirstRand Bank.                                       
                                             "B"                                
preference shares                   
Cents per share                               2011        2010                  
                                                                                
Period                                                                          
30 August 2011 - 27 February 2012             305.2                             
31 August 2010 - 28 February 2011                         313.6                 
BW Unser                                                                        
Company secretary                                                               
28 February 2012                                                                
Consolidated income statement - IFRS                                            
                               Six months ended   % change Year ended           
                              31 December                 30 June               
R million                       2011      2010               2011               
                                                                                
Continuing operations                                                           
Interest and similar income      20 278    19 133  6          38 187            
Interest expense and similar    (9 748)   (10 754) (9)       (20 818)           
charges                                                                         
Net interest income before       10 530    8 379   26         17 369            
impairment of advances                                                          
Impairment of advances          (1 824)   (2 084)  (12)      (3 778)            
Net interest income after        8 706     6 295   38         13 591            
impairment of advances                                                          
Non-interest income              13 431    13 250  1          29 565            
Income from operations           22 137    19 545  13         43 156            
Operating expenses              (13 371)  (12 278) 9         (24 584)           
Net income from operations       8 766     7 267   21         18 572            
Share of profit from associates 401       506      (21)      868                
and joint ventures                                                              
Income before tax                9 167     7 773   18         19 440            
Indirect tax                    (385)     (385)    -         (614)              
Profit before direct tax         8 782     7 388   19         18 826            
Direct tax                      (2 192)   (2 080)  5         (4 582)            
Profit from continuing           6 590     5 308   24         14 244            
operations                                                                      
Discontinued operations                                                         
Profit attributable to          -         415      (100)     415                
discontinued operations                                                         
Profit after tax on             -          6 868   (100)      6 868             
disposal/unbundling of                                                          
discontinued operations                                                         
Profit for the period            6 590     12 591  (48)       21 527            
Attributable to:                                                                
NCNR preference shareholders    137       160      (14)      301                
Ordinary equity holders          6 067     12 070  (50)       20 065            
Equity holders of the Group      6 204     12 230  (49)       20 366            
Non-controlling interests       386       361      7          1 161             
Profit for the period            6 590     12 591  (48)       21 527            

Earnings per share (cents)                                                      
-?Basic                         111.1     227.0    (51)      372.7              
-?Diluted                       109.2     223.2    (51)      365.3              
Headline earnings per share                                                     
(cents)                                                                         
-?Basic                         103.3     94.8     9         183.1              
-?Diluted                       101.5     93.3     9         179.4              
Earnings per share (cents) -                                                    
IFRS continuing                                                                 
-?Basic                         111.1     89.4     24        236.6              
-?Diluted                       109.2     87.9     24        231.9              
Headline earnings per share                                                     
(cents) - IFRS continuing                                                       
-?Basic                         103.3     86.4     20        174.7              
-?Diluted                       101.5     85.0     19        171.3              
Earnings per share (cents) -                                                    
discontinued                                                                    
-?Basic                         -         137.6    (100)     136.1              
-?Diluted                       -         135.3    (100)     133.4              
Headline earnings per share                                                     
(cents) - discontinued                                                          
-?Basic                         -         8.4      (100)     8.4                
-?Diluted                       -         8.3      (100)     8.1                
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income - IFRS                           
                               Six months ended   %         Year                
                              31 December        change   ended                 
                                                          30                    
June                    
R million                       2011      2010               2011               
                                                                                
Profit for the period            6 590     12 591   (48)      21 527            
Other comprehensive income                                                      
Cash flow hedges                (275)     (132)     >100     21                 
Available-for-sale financial    274       387       (29)     (41)               
assets                                                                          
Exchange differences on         634       (419)     (>100)   (266)              
translating foreign operations                                                  
Share of other comprehensive    (15)      (5)       >100     35                 
income of associates after tax                                                  
and non-controlling interests                                                   
Other comprehensive income for  618       (169)     (>100)   (251)              
the period before tax                                                           
Income tax relating to          (10)      (43)      (77)     (44)               
components of other                                                             
comprehensive income                                                            
Other comprehensive income for  608       (212)     (>100)   (295)              
the period                                                                      
Total comprehensive income for   7 198     12 379   (42)      21 232            
the period                                                                      
Total comprehensive income                                                      
attributable to:                                                                
Ordinary equityholders          6 648      11 950   (44)      19 837            
NCNR preference shares          137       160       (14)     301                
Equityholders of the Group      6 785      12 110   (44)      20 138            
Non-controlling interests       413       269       54        1 094             
Total comprehensive income for   7 198     12 379   (42)      21 232            
the period                                                                      
Consolidated statement of financial position - IFRS                             
                                       As at               As at                
31 December        30 June                
R million                               2011      2010      2011                
                                                                                
ASSETS                                                                          
Cash and cash equivalents                38 545    31 511    34 240             
Derivative financial instruments         57 721    51 052    37 206             
Advances                                 498 258   453 290   464 593            
Investment securities and other          126 237   127 884   124 756            
investments                                                                     
Commodities                              5 880     4 164     4 388              
Accounts receivable                      7 894     5 598     7 289              
Investments in associates and joint      6 663     5 819     6 029              
ventures                                                                        
Property and equipment                   11 949    10 409    10 542             
Deferred tax asset                      470       451       560                 
Post-retirement benefit asset           3         -         2                   
Intangible assets                        1 647     1 510     1 691              
Investment properties                   203       161       203                 
Policy loans on insurance contracts     -         26        -                   
Reinsurance assets                      855       527       484                 
Tax asset                               163       798       139                 
Non-current assets held for sale         5 173     2 609     5 805              
Total assets                             761 661   695 809   697 927            
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES                                                          
Liabilities                                                                     
Deposits and current accounts            595 200   543 713   553 657            
Short trading positions                  11 944    15 801    12 413             
Derivative financial instruments         58 329    50 027    36 361             
Creditors and accruals                   12 152    10 193    9 930              
Provisions                               2 965     3 254     3 621              
Tax liability                           409       319       288                 
Post-retirement liabilities              2 346     2 202     2 292              
Deferred tax liability                   2 226     2 474     2 223              
Long-term liabilities                    5 048     7 489     6 690              
Policyholder liabilities under           1 373     2 007     1 047              
insurance contracts                                                             
Policyholder liabilities under          90        163       94                  
investment contracts                                                            
Liabilities directly associated with     4 480    419        5 092              
non-current assets classified as held                                           
for sale                                                                        
Total liabilities                        696 562   638 061   633 708            
Equity                                                                          
Ordinary shares                         55        54        53                  
Share premium                            5 167     5 194     4 945              
Reserves                                 52 284    45 112    51 633             
Capital and reserves attributable to     57 506    50 360    56 631             
ordinary equityholders                                                          
NCNR preference shares                   4 519     4 519     4 519              
Capital and reserves attributable to     62 025    54 879    61 150             
equityholders of the Group                                                      
Non-controlling interests                3 074     2 869     3 069              
Total equity                             65 099    57 748    64 219             
Total equity and liabilities             761 661   695 809   697 927            
Consolidated statement of cash flows - IFRS                                     
                                       Six months ended    Year                 
31 December       ended                  
                                                          30                    
                                                        June                    
R million                               2011      2010      2011                

Net cash flows from operating            6 124     6 217     16 923             
activities continuing operations                                                
Net cash generated/(utilised) from      2 320     (1 397)   (803)               
operations                                                                      
Tax paid                                (2 307)   (1 344)   (3 965)             
Net cash inflow from operating          6 137      3 476     12 155             
activities continuing operations                                                
Net cash (outflow)/inflow from          (2 364)   (341)      1 777              
investing activities from  continuing                                           
operations                                                                      
Net cash inflow/(outflow) from          313        1 390    (6 725)             
financing activities from continuing                                            
operations                                                                      
Net increase in cash and cash            4 086     4 525     7 207              
equivalents from continuing and                                                 
discontinued operations                                                         
Cash and cash equivalents at the         34 240    27 067    27 067             
beginning of the period                                                         
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of  38 326    31 592    34 274             
the period                                                                      
Cash and cash equivalents acquired*     -         -         200                 
Cash and cash equivalents disposed of*  -         -         (83)                
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash 219       (81)      (151)               
and cash equivalents                                                            
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of  38 545    31 511    34 240             
the period                                                                      
Mandatory reserve balances included      13 443    10 981    12 173             
above**                                                                         
 * Cash and cash equivalents sold and bought relate to cash                     
balances held by subsidiaries acquired and sold during the year.                
** Banks are required to deposit a minimum average balance,                     
calculated monthly with the Central Bank, which is not available                
for use in the Group`s day-to-day operations. The deposit bears no              
or low interest. Money at short notice constitutes amounts                      
withdrawable in 32 days or less.                                                
Consolidated statement of changes in equity - IFRS                              
                            Ordinary share capital and ordinary                 
                           equityholders` funds                                 
R million                    Share     Share     Share      General             
capital    premium  capital    risk                  
                                              and        reserve                
                                             share                              
                                              premium                           
Balance as at 1 July 2010    52         1 491     1 543     12                  
Movement in other reserves   -         -         -          -                   
Ordinary dividends           -         -         -          -                   
Preference dividends         -         -         -          -                   
Transfer (to)/from reserves  -         -         -          -                   
Changes in ownership         -         -         -          -                   
interest in subsidiaries                                                        
Consolidation of treasury    2          3 703     3 705     -                   
shares                                                                          
Total comprehensive income   -         -         -          -                   
for the period                                                                  
Dividend in specie:          -         -         -          -                   
unbundling of Momentum                                                          
Balance as at 31 December    54         5 194     5 248     12                  
2010                                                                            
Balance as at 1 July 2011    53         4 945     4 998     13                  
Movement in other reserves   -         -         -          -                   
Ordinary dividends           -         -         -          -                   
Preference dividends         -         -         -          -                   
Transfer (to)/from reserves  -         -         -          14                  
Changes in ownership         -         -         -          -                   
interest in subsidiaries                                                        
Consolidation of treasury    2         222       224        -                   
shares                                                                          
Total comprehensive income   -         -         -          -                   
for the period                                                                  
Balance as at 31 December    55         5 167     5 222     27                  
2011                                                                            
Ordinary share capital and ordinary                         
                   equityholders` funds                                         
R million            Cash     Share-    Avail-    Currency   Other              
                   flow     based     able-     Trans-      reserves            
hedge    payment  for-sale  lation                          
                   reserve   reserve  reserve   reserve                         
Balance as at 1 July (466)     2 487    969       698        (617)              
2010                                                                            
Movement in other    -        352       -         -          (12)               
reserves                                                                        
Ordinary dividends   -        -         -         -          -                  
Preference dividends -        -         -         -          -                  
Transfer (to)/from   -        (47)      -         -          -                  
reserves                                                                        
Changes in ownership -        -         -         -          7                  
interest in                                                                     
subsidiaries                                                                    
Consolidation of     -        -         -         -          -                  
treasury shares                                                                 
Total comprehensive  (95)     -         307       (332)      -                  
income for the                                                                  
period                                                                          
Dividend in specie:  -        (89)      (664)     (18)       583                
unbundling of                                                                   
Momentum                                                                        
Balance as at        (561)     2 703    612       348        (39)               
31 December 2010                                                                
Balance as at        (451)     2 739    225       474        13                 
1 July 2011                                                                     
Movement in other    -        315       -         -          (142)              
reserves                                                                        
Ordinary dividends   -        -         -         -          -                  
Preference dividends -        -         -         -          -                  
Transfer (to)/from   -        -         -         -          -                  
reserves                                                                        
Changes in ownership -        -         -         -          -                  
interest in                                                                     
subsidiaries                                                                    
Consolidation of     -        -         -         -          -                  
treasury shares                                                                 
Total comprehensive  (198)    -         187       606        (14)               
income for the                                                                  
period                                                                          
Balance as at        (649)     3 054    412        1 080     (143)              
31 December 2011                                                                
                        Ordinary share capital and ordinary                     
                       equityholders` funds                                     
R million                Retained   Reserves Non-     Non-      Total           
earnings   attri-   cumu-    con-     equity            
                                 butable  lative   trolling                     
                                 to        non-     interest                    
                                 ordinary redeema                               
equity  ble                                   
                                 holders  prefere                               
                                         nce                                    
                                          shares                                
Balance as at 1 July      46 806     49 889   4 519    3 012     58 963         
2010                                                                            
Movement in other        79         419      -        (101)     318             
reserves                                                                        
Ordinary dividends       (2 287)    (2 287)  -        (339)     (2 626)         
Preference dividends     -          -        (160)    -         (160)           
Transfer (to)/from       47         -        -        -         -               
reserves                                                                        
Changes in ownership     (32)       (25)     -        31        6               
interest in subsidiaries                                                        
Consolidation of         513        513      -        -          4 218          
treasury shares                                                                 
Total comprehensive       12 070     11 950  160      269        12 379         
income for the period                                                           
Dividend in specie:      (15 159)   (15 347) -        (3)       (15 350)        
unbundling of Momentum                                                          
Balance as at             42 037     45 112   4 519    2 869     57 748         
31 December 2010                                                                
Balance as at 1 July      48 620     51 633   4 519    3 069     64 219         
2011                                                                            
Movement in other        166        339      -        (31)      308             
reserves                                                                        
Ordinary dividends       (6 341)    (6 341)  -        (369)     (6 710)         
Preference dividends     -          -        (137)    -         (137)           
Transfer (to)/from       (14)       -        -        -         -               
reserves                                                                        
Changes in ownership     (35)       (35)     -        (8)       (43)            
interest in subsidiaries                                                        
Consolidation of         40         40       -        -         264             
treasury shares                                                                 
Total comprehensive       6 067     6 648    137      413       7 198           
income for the period                                                           
Balance as at             48 503     52 284   4 519    3 074     65 099         
31 December 2011                                                                
Statement of headline earnings from continuing and discontinued operations      
- IFRS                                                                          
Six months ended   % change  Year                 
                             31 December                 ended                  
                                                         30 June                
R million                      2011      2010                2011               

Continuing operations                                                           
Profit from continuing            6 590    5 308    24         14 244           
operations                                                                      
Non-controlling interest         (386)    (364)     6         (1 164)           
NCNR preference shares           (137)    (160)     (14)      (301)             
Attributable earnings to          6 067    4 784    27         12 779           
ordinary equityholders                                                          
Adjusted for:                    (428)    (159)     >100      (3 341)           
Loss/(gain) on disposal of       2        -                   (12)              
investment securities and                                                       
other investments                                                               
Gain on disposal of available-   (36)     (179)               (341)             
for-sale assets                                                                 
Gain on disposal of associates   (463)    -                   (2 792)           
Gain on disposal of              (17)     (3)                 (571)             
subsidiaries                                                                    
Loss/(gain) on the disposal of   24       2                   (9)               
property                                                                        
and equipment                    18       24                  96                
Impairment of goodwill           15       7                   37                
Impairment of assets in terms    -        -                   (9)               
of IAS 36                                                                       
Gain from a bargain purchase     (1)      2                   -                 
Other                            23       (12)                16                
Tax effects of adjustments       7        -                   244               
Non-controlling interest         7        -                   244               
adjustments                                                                     

Headline earnings from            5 639    4 625    22         9 438            
continuing operations                                                           
Discontinued operations                                                         
Profit from discontinued         -         7 283    (100)      7 283            
operations                                                                      
Non-controlling interests        -        3         (100)     3                 
Attributable earnings to         -         7 286    (100)      7 286            
ordinary shareholders                                                           
Adjusted for:                    -        (6 868)   (100)     (6 868)           
Profit on dividend in specie     -        (6 868)             (6 868)           
                                                                                
Headline earnings from           -        418       (100)     418               
discontinued operations                                                         
Headline earnings from            5 639    5 043    12         9 856            
continuing and discontinued                                                     
operations                                                                      
Reconciliation from headline earnings to normalised earnings from               
continuing and discontinued operations                                          
                             Six months ended    % change  Year                 
31 December                  ended                  
                                                         30 June                
R million                         2011     2010*               2011*            
                                                                                
Headline earnings from             5 639    4 625    22         9 438           
continuing operations                                                           
Adjusted for:                     132      127       4         859              
IFRS 2 Share-based payment        29       (45)      (>100)    (20)             
expense                                                                         
Treasury shares                   103      172       (40)      418              
-?Consolidation of share          94       141                 210              
trust                                                                           
-?FirstRand shares held by        9        31                  208              
policyholders                                                                   
                                                                                
Private equity subsidiary         -        -         -         461              
realisations                                                                    
Normalised earnings from           5 771    4 752    21         10 297          
continuing operations                                                           
Headline earnings from            -        418       (100)     418              
discontinued operations                                                         
Adjusted for:                     -        90        (100)     90               
-?FirstRand shares held by        -        90                  90               
policyholders                                                                   

Normalised earnings from           5 771    5 260    10         10 805          
continuing and discontinued                                                     
operations                                                                      
* December 2010 and June 2011 figures includes six months of                    
OUTsurance income amounting to R180 million in earnings from                    
continuing operations, which is excluded from normalised earnings.              
Reconciliation of IFRS continuing operations to normalised continuing           
operations                                                                      
                               Six months ended  % change  Year                 
                               31 December               ended                  
                                                         30 June                
R million                       2011     2010                2011               
                                                                                
Earnings attributable to        6 067    4 784     27        12 779             
ordinary equityholders                                                          
OUTsurance equity-accounted     -         (180)    (100)     (180)              
income                                                                          
Profit on sale of OUTsurance    -        -         n/a       (2 710)            
Profit on disposal of WesBank   (470)    -         n/a       -                  
investments                                                                     
Attributable earnings from      5 597    4 604     22        9 889              
continuing normalised                                                           
operations                                                                      

Headline earnings from IFRS     5 639    4 625     22        9 438              
continuing operations                                                           
OUTsurance equity-accounted     -         (180)    (100)     (180)              
income                                                                          
Headline earnings from          5 639    4 445     27        9 258              
continuing normalised                                                           
operations                                                                      

Normalised earnings from IFRS   5 771    4 752     21        10 297             
continuing operations                                                           
OUTsurance equity-accounted     -        (180)     (100)     (180)              
income                                                                          
Normalised earnings from        5 771    4 572     26        10 117             
continuing normalised                                                           
operations                                                                      
Reclassifications of prior year numbers                                         
During the financial year the following income statement reclassifications      
were made:                                                                      
30 June 2011  Amount as   Amount    Difference   Explanation                    
Income        previously  as                                                    
statement     reported    restated                                              
R million                                                                       
Non-interest   31 882      29 565    2 317      Fee and commission              
income                                       expenses that are                  
                                           incremental or                       
                                           directly attributable                
                                           to the generation of                 
fee and commission                   
                                           income have been                     
                                           reclassified out of                  
                                           various operating                    
expense lines into                   
                                           the fee and                          
                                           commission expense                   
                                           line. In addition,                   
the presentation of                  
                                           fee and commission                   
                                           expenses has been                    
                                           updated by presenting                
it as part of non-                   
                                           interest income and                  
                                           not as part of                       
                                           operating expenses.                  
Operating     (26 901)    (24 584)  (2 317)     As per above.                   
expenses                                                                        
Profit for    21 527      21 527    -           No effect on profit             
the year                                     for the year.                      
31 December   Amount as   Amount    Difference   Explanation                    
2010          previously  as                                                    
Income        reported    restated                                              
statement                                                                       
R million                                                                       
Non-interest   14 396      13 250    1 146      Fee and commission              
income                                       expenses that are                  
                                           incremental or                       
directly attributable                
                                           to the generation of                 
                                           fee and commission                   
                                           income have been                     
reclassified out of                  
                                           various operating                    
                                           expense lines into                   
                                           the fee and                          
commission expense                   
                                           line. In addition,                   
                                           the presentation of                  
                                           fee and commission                   
expenses has been                    
                                           updated by presenting                
                                           it as part of non-                   
                                           interest income and                  
not as part of                       
                                           operating expenses.                  
Operating     (13 424)    (12 278)  (1 146)     As per above.                   
expenses                                                                        
Profit for    12 591      12 591    -           No effect on profit             
the year                                     for the year.                      
The unaudited interim results announcement is a summary of the interim          
financial results. A copy of the "unaudited interim results and cash            
dividend declaration for the six months ended   31 December 2011" will be       
available from 28 February 2012, either on www.firstrand.co.za, or, on          
request, at the Group`s registered office.                                      
Sandton                                                                         
28 February 2012                                                                
Sponsor: RAND MERCHANT BANK (a division of FirstRand Bank Limited)              
Date: 28/02/2012 08:00:11 Produced by the JSE SENS Department.                  
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employees and agents accept no liability for (or in respect of) any direct,     
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howsoever arising, from the use of SENS or the use of, or reliance on,          
information disseminated through SENS.                                          
Profile Group (Pty) Ltd. has taken care in preparing all information on this website, but does not accept any liability for errors or out-of-date information.
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