Uniastrum Places 31st in Top-300 Universal Bank Rankings for 9M10

MOSCOW, RUSSIA, January 01, 2011 (Press-News.org) Buoyed by sustained credit portfolio growth, Uniastrum Bank placed 44th by net asset value in Russian Bank rankings for 9M10, up 4 notches on year-start 2010, with NAV climbing to Rb 80.4 bn, an increase of 15%, as of October 1, 2010.

During 9M10 Uniastrum's overall credit portfolio expanded 28% to Rb 54.1 bn. The Bank is among Russia's Top-30 retail lenders, retaining 29th position. As of October 1, 2010 corporate loans accounted for around 65% of Uniastrum's total credit portfolio, securing the lender 33rd place for this metric relative to other major Russian banks. In the reporting period Uniastrum's corporate credit portfolio grew around 40%.

"9M10 results demonstrate solid growth in our core business lines," says Eugene Tutkevich, Chairman of Uniastrum's Management Board. "In 2011 we intend to continue rolling out our retail and SME segments. Next year will see us focused heavily on installing new technology, improving service quality network-wide, and launching innovative products."

CB UNIASTRUM BANK LLC was established in 1994. Uniastrum is a universal lending institution offering a comprehensive range of financial products and services, with particular focus given to the retail sector and small and medium-sized businesses. Uniastrum is one of Russia's Top-30 systemically important banks, as ranked by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and places among the country's Top-20 based on the size of its branch network. It is Russia's 44th largest bank by asset size, 37st by loan portfolio volume, 32th by overall retail deposits, and 13th by total auto loans. In 2003-2007 it was the 14th biggest dynamic-growth bank, according to ratings released by RosBusinessConsulting news agency. Uniastrum's financial statement for October 1, 2010 showed the Bank's total assets at Rb 134 bn, with equity capital amounting to Rb 8.99 bn. Uniastrum Bank is a deposit insurance scheme participant. On May 31, 2010 Moody's Investors Service affirmed the Bank's long-term global foreign and local currency deposit rating at Ba2 with a stable outlook, while Moody's Interfax Rating Agency affirmed its national scale rating at Aa2.ru. Uniastrum's regional network currently numbers around 220 offices (including 43 branches) in 48 Russian regions. Since October 31, 2008 Uniastrum Bank has been a member of the Bank of Cyprus Group.