Westpac NZ second-half earnings increase 3% on growth in financial services, home loans

Westpac NZ second-half earnings increase 3% on growth in financial services, home loans
By Fiona Rotherham Nov. 3 (BusinessDesk) - Westpac New Zealand, the local unit of Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, reported a 3 percent rise in second-half earnings on the back of strong growth in financial services and mortgages with a loan to value ratio of less than 80 percent. Core earnings for the half-year ending September 2014 were $622 million compared to $600 million in the first half. Cash earnings were unchanged from the first half at $432 million due to a jump in impairment charges of $22 million compared to just $4 million i...