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Heath Lambert pulls out of merger discussions with JLT

Albania I Belarus I Bosnia & Herezegovina I Bulgaria I Croatia I Czech Republic I Georgia I Hungary I Poland I Romania I Russia I Serbia I Slovakia I Slovenia I Turkey I Ukraine In Slovakia, Erste Bank’s Slovenska Sporitelna and Banca Intesa’s VUB continue to slug it out for the top spot in the banking sector. It’s a photo finish between the two. Slovenska Sporitelna’s net income last year was $120 million. VUB’s was $119 million. VUB’s cost-income ratio was 56%. Slovenska Sporitelna’s was 55.5%. VUB is rightly proud of its consumer finance division, called CFH, which helped increase the bank’s retail loans portfolio by 60%. But we’ve chosen to give it to Slovenska Sporitelna, because it made more money, has a slightly better return on equity, and a leadership position in asset management and leasing.

Strength comes from the top. And it is from the tight-knit senior executive group that Stan O’Neal believes Merrill derives much of its strength.

Azerbaijan I Kazakhstan I Kyrgyzstan I Uzbekistan Uzbekistan’s banking sector is getting into ever deeper trouble as president Islam Karimov’s increasingly repressive policies close the country off from international trade and drive the economy into crisis. Despite this, Ansher Capital still manages to survive and thrive as Uzbekistan’s leading investment bank. In the past 12 months, it managed to attract the first foreign investors into an Uzbek corporate bond. It is also looking to do a listing in the next year on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement After only two years under local management, following the end of Citibank’s equity holding and management contract, Samba is now in its strongest ever position in an increasingly competitive local market and is a clear winner of the best bank award.

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement As always the competition to be best bank in Lebanon is extremely fierce. Bank Audi has again performed exceptionally well but by the narrowest of margins it is this year just beaten by Bank Blom.

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement Competition in the UAE is among the toughest in the region and getting the decisions right, particularly in the retail market, is, as many banks have found, far from easy.

The awards for excellence season is always an interesting time for Euromoney’s journalists. As we consider the relevant merits of different banks and their diverse businesses, there is an opportunity to get to the real heart of what makes a bank tick. To do that, you need to see the leader.

Bahamas I Bardados I Bermuda I Dominician Republic I Jamaica I Trinidad & Tobago I Costa Rica I El Salvador I Guatemala I Honduras I Nicaragua I Panama I Argentina I Bolivia I Brazil I Chile I Colombia I Ecuador I Mexico I Paraguay I Peru I Uruguay I Venezuela

Bahamas I Bardados I Bermuda I Dominician Republic I Jamaica I Trinidad & Tobago I Costa Rica I El Salvador I Guatemala I Honduras I Nicaragua I Panama I Argentina I Bolivia I Brazil I Chile I Colombia I Ecuador I Mexico I Paraguay I Peru I Uruguay I Venezuela

Bahamas I Bardados I Bermuda I Dominician Republic I Jamaica I Trinidad & Tobago I Costa Rica I El Salvador I Guatemala I Honduras I Nicaragua I Panama I Argentina I Bolivia I Brazil I Chile I Colombia I Ecuador I Mexico I Paraguay I Peru I Uruguay I Venezuela

Bahamas I Bardados I Bermuda I Dominican Republic I Jamaica I Trinidad & Tobago I Costa Rica I El Salvador I Guatemala I Honduras I Nicaragua I Panama I Argentina I Bolivia I Brazil I Chile I Colombia I Ecuador I Mexico I Paraguay I Peru I Uruguay I Venezuela Banco de Bogotá, Colombia’s second largest bank, has shown its determination in facing up to the challenge laid down by market leader Bancolombia, which last year merged with Colombia’s top mortgage lender, Conavi, and the country’s largest investment bank, Corfinsura, to create the country’s biggest bank. Banco de Bogotá has moved aggressively to take over local micro-credit bank Megabanco with a $358 million offer, ahead of Bancolombia’s bid. The Megabanco purchase will increase Banco de Bogotá’s market share by more than 2% to 14%, behind Bancolombia’s 20% share, but ahead of Spain’s BBVA, which has 8%. Banco de Bogotá, which reported a 33% rise in profits to $174 million last year as a result of higher returns from fixed-income instruments, plans to grow organically and will open 40 branches this year and grow its retail loan portfolio, expanding its business beyond corporate lending. Ideally, the bank wants retail lending to represent 40% of its overall loan portfolio and to grow total loans by a third this year, a tough test in a country where many poor Colombians do not use banks. Colombia’s current loan portfolio represents only 23% of GDP, one of the lowest levels in Latin America. Banco de Bogotá predicts a 14% increase in profits in 2006.