Fourth quarter net profit was NIS 20 million.
The bank's financial report shows that provision for doubtful debts jumped 139.1 percent in 2008 to reach NIS 103 million. Profit from financing activities, before provisions for doubtful debts, fell 5.8 percent in 2008 to reach NIS 430 million.
Credit to the public rose 11.2 percent, compared with the end of 2007, to NIS 39.8 billion. The mortgage bank showed an increase of 14.4 percent in new loans, to a total of NIS 8.4 billion, from NIS 7.3 billion in 2007.
The bank attributed the drop in its profit to the rise in doubtful debt provisions and to higher tax expenses. Also, in 2007, the bank's net profit was increased by NIS 38 million by a tax agreement reached with municipal authorities.
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