Bangkok--21 Jan--Bangkok Bank - Net profit rose by 13.3% - Loans increased by 8.0% and exceeded Baht 1 trillion - Non-performing loans declined to 7.9 percent of total loans Bangkok Bank reported a net profit of Baht 19.1 billion in 2007, an increase of Baht 2.2 billion or 13.3 percent from 2006. Profit before provisions and tax amounted to Baht 33.6 billion, an increase of 6.0 percent. The bank's performance reflects healthy growth in loans and deposits over the past year, as well as improving quality of assets. Revenues in 2007 increased while non-interest expenses declined from the previous year. At the end of 2007, the bank's total loans amounted to Baht 1,035.4 billion, an increase of Baht 77.0 billion or 8.0 percent from end of 2006. Deposits also increased, with growth at 3.7 percent and amounted to Baht 1,267.1 billion at the year-end. With the higher growth in loans than in deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio increased from 78.4 percent to 81.7 percent. In 2007, interest income increased by Baht 2.8 billion and interest expenses increased by Baht 391 million. Net interest income for 2007 therefore rose by Baht 2.4 billion to Baht 46.8 billion and net interest margin for 2007 was 3.15 percent, compared to 3.14 percent in 2006. On the non-interest income, fees and service income rose by Baht 966 million, or 6.6 percent, to Baht 15.6 billion and gain on foreign exchange increased by Baht 385 million, or 10.8 percent, to Baht 4.0 billion. However, the net gain on investments in 2007 declined from 2006 by Baht 2.8 billion from Baht 3.4 billion to Baht 576 million, partly because of lower gain on sale of investments in equities in 2007 when compared to 2006, and partly because of impairment charge on investments in debt and equity securities in 2007 totaling Baht 1.6 billion which is higher than 2006. Asset quality improved with non-performing loans at the end of 2007 declining by Baht 7.4 billion to Baht 81.7 billion, or 7.9 percent of total loans, compared to 9.2 percent of loans at the end of 2006. Provisions in 2007 was Baht 5.3 billion and the loan loss reserve at year-end amounted to Baht 67.0 billion. The total loan loss reserve exceeded the Bank of Thailand's requirements of Baht 51.8 billion by Baht 15.2 billion. Shareholders' equity at the end of 2007 totaled Baht 164.4 billion. Including the profit for the second half of the year 2007, the total capital adequacy ratio and the Tier 1 capital ratio would have been approximately 15.5 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively. In 2007, earnings per share rose from Baht 8.83 per share in 2006 to Baht 10.01