Bank of Ireland posted a 5 per cent rise in full year pre-tax profit before exceptional items this morning.
The bank said it was confident of maintaining itsperformance despite volatility in world markets.
The State's second-biggest bank reported pre-exceptional, pre-tax profit of €1.18 billion ($1.36 billion) for the year to end-March, with earnings per share (EPS) before goodwill and exceptionals up six per cent to 99.2 cents.
The results were in line with market expectations and, in EPS growth terms, matched larger rival Allied Irish Banks's performance for calendar 2002, announced in February.
The bank declared a final dividend of 23.8 cents per share, giving a total dividend of 37 cents for the year, up 12 per cent.
Helped by buoyant mortgage lending, Bank of Ireland's Irish retail banking operation provided the strongest growth, with pre-tax profit up 17 per cent to €375 million. Profits from its British financial services group grew 13 per cent to €352 million.
Irish wholesale business profits rose 10 per cent to €389 million. The impact of weak equity markets on its life assurance and asset-management units cost the bank about €100 million.
After an exceptional charge of €164 million relating largely to the rationalisation of its British advisory operations, Bank of Ireland's pre-tax profit was €1.01 billion, down from €1.08 billion the previous year.