UPDATE ANZ New Zealand 1Q profit sinks 25 percent from inflated 2011 derivative gains

UPDATE ANZ New Zealand 1Q profit sinks 25 percent from inflated 2011 derivative gains
(Update to add local spokesman comment) Feb. 15 (BusinessDesk) - ANZ New Zealand, the country's biggest lender, reported a 25 percent fall in first-quarter profit as the value of the bank's hedging derivatives return to more normal levels, and as interest margins softened. Net profit dropped to $300 million in the three months ended Dec. 31, from $400 million a year earlier, according to ANZ New Zealand's general disclosure statement. Net interest income fell 2.5 percent to $651 million, and other operating revenue more than halved to $93 mi...