FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of March 2008
ABBEY NATIONAL PLC
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
Abbey National House, 2 Triton Square, Regent’s
Place, London NW1 3AN, England
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F . . . .X. . . . Form 40-F . . . . . . . .
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes . . . . . . . No . . .X. . . .
On 7 February 2008, Abbey National plc ('Abbey') issued a Trading Statement summarising the results for the year ended 31 December 2007. That statement was unaudited and did not comprise a results announcement. It contained narrative on business trends and new business.
This preliminary results announcement is a follow-up to the Trading Statement and comprises Abbey's 2007 full year results announcement. It contains audited primary financial statements, consisting of a statutory income statement, balance sheet, statement of recognised income and expense, and cash flow statement. For further details of business trends it should be read in conjunction with the Trading Statement issued on 7 February 2008.
Whilst the financial information included in this preliminary results announcement has been calculated in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), this preliminary results announcement does not contain all the financial statement disclosures that would be required under IFRS. Abbey's Annual Report and Accounts, including full financial statements that comply with IFRS have also been published today.
| 2007 £m | 2006 £m |
Net interest income | 1,499 | 1,228 |
Non-interest income, net | 1,283 | 1,242 |
Total operating income | 2,782 | 2,470 |
Administrative expenses | (1,369) | (1,420) |
Depreciation and amortisation | (205) | (215) |
Total operating expenses excluding provisions and charges | (1,574) | (1,635) |
Impairment losses on loans and advances | (344) | (344) |
Provisions for other liabilities and charges | - | (63) |
Total operating provisions and charges | (344) | (407) |
Profit on continuing operations before tax | 864 | 428 |
Tax on profit on continuing operations | (179) | (115) |
Profit for the year from continuing operations | 685 | 313 |
Loss for the year from discontinued operations | - | (245) |
Profit for the year | 685 | 68 |
|
|
|
Tier 1 capital ratio (%) | 7.3% | 8.0% |
Equity Tier 1 capital ratio (%) | 5.4% | 5.6% |
Closing risk weighted assets | 68,562 | 62,942 |
Profit on continuing operations before tax of £864m increased from £428m in 2006. Material movements by line include:
Net interest income of £1,499m compared to £1,228m in 2006 increased by £271m. Retail Banking income benefited from robust asset growth of 8% in challenging market conditions, and Abbey's continued focus on effective margin management for both mortgages and customer deposits. Overall the Retail Banking spread improved by 2 basis points. Net interest income also benefited from the full year impact of earnings from proceeds from the sale of the life insurance businesses in 2006.
Non-interest income of £1,283m compared to £1,242m in 2006 increased by £41m. The increase relates to the uplift in revenues within Global Banking & Markets despite difficult trading conditions in the second half of the year restricting transaction flow. In addition, 2007 has benefited from the increase in the profit on part sale of subsidiaries, partially offset by higher losses from hedging and other mark-to-market variances compared to 2006. Retail banking fee income declined slightly.
Administrative expenses of £1,369m (2006: £1,420m) decreased by £51m driven by on-going cost reduction activity.
Depreciation and amortisation of £205m (2006: £215m) decreased by £10m due to lower asset write-downs.
Impairment losses on loans and advances were unchanged at £344m, with reduced exposure to unsecured lending, particularly internet-sourced lending, being offset by increases elsewhere reflecting the deterioration in market conditions. Credit quality overall remains sound.
Provisions for other liabilities and charges were £nil compared to £63m in 2006, principally due to the stay in complaints relating to unauthorised overdraft charges pending a decision on legal proceedings in the High Court of England and Wales to resolve legal uncertainties concerning the level, fairness and lawfulness of unauthorised overdraft charges.
For the years ended 31 December 2007 and 2006
| 2007 £m | 2006 £m |
Interest and similar income | 7,043 | 5,644 |
Interest expense and similar charges | (5,544) | (4,416) |
Net interest income | 1,499 | 1,228 |
Fee and commission income | 785 | 789 |
Fee and commission expense | (90) | (90) |
Net fee and commission income | 695 | 699 |
Dividend income | 1 | 1 |
Net trading income | 260 | 408 |
Other operating income, net | 327 | 134 |
Total operating income | 2,782 | 2,470 |
Administration expenses | (1,369) | (1,420) |
Depreciation and amortisation | (205) | (215) |
Total operating expenses excluding provisions and charges | (1,574) | (1,635) |
Impairment losses on loans and advances | (344) | (344) |
Provisions for other liabilities and charges | - | (63) |
Total operating provisions and charges | (344) | (407) |
Profit on continuing operations before tax | 864 | 428 |
Tax on profit on continuing operations | (179) | (115) |
Profit for the year from continuing operations | 685 | 313 |
Loss for the year from discontinued operations | - | (245) |
Profit for the year | 685 | 68 |
Attributable to: |
|
|
Equity holders of the parent | 685 | 68 |
As at 31 December 2007 and 2006
| 2007 £m | 2006 £m |
Assets |
| |
Cash and balances at central banks | 1,038 | 888 |
Trading assets | 56,427 | 62,314 |
Derivative financial instruments | 9,951 | 8,336 |
Financial assets designated at fair value | 11,783 | 8,713 |
Loans and advances to banks | 3,441 | 2,242 |
Loans and advances to customers | 112,147 | 103,146 |
Available for sale securities | 40 | 23 |
Macro hedge of interest rate risk | 217 | - |
Investment in associated undertakings | 29 | 22 |
Intangible assets | 90 | 90 |
Property, plant and equipment | 528 | 415 |
Operating lease assets | 2,164 | 2,082 |
Current tax assets | 197 | 223 |
Deferred tax assets | 665 | 804 |
Other assets | 906 | 2,507 |
Total assets | 199,623 | 191,805 |
Liabilities |
|
|
Deposits by banks | 7,923 | 6,656 |
Deposits by customers | 69,650 | 66,519 |
Derivative financial instruments | 9,931 | 10,218 |
Trading liabilities | 54,916 | 57,604 |
Financial liabilities designated at fair value | 7,538 | 8,151 |
Debt securities in issue | 35,712 | 28,998 |
Other borrowed funds | 1,419 | 1,655 |
Subordinated liabilities | 4,732 | 5,020 |
Macro hedge of interest rate risk | - | 174 |
Other liabilities | 2,337 | 1,616 |
Provisions | 131 | 180 |
Current tax liabilities | 369 | 300 |
Deferred tax liabilities | 544 | 564 |
Retirement benefit obligations | 979 | 1,034 |
Total liabilities | 196,181 | 188,689 |
Equity |
|
|
Share capital | 148 | 148 |
Share premium account | 1,857 | 1,857 |
Retained earnings | 1,339 | 1,111 |
| 3,344 | 3,116 |
Minority interest | 98 | - |
Total shareholders equity | 3,442 | 3,116 |
Total liabilities and equity | 199,623 | 191,805 |
For the years ended 31 December 2007 and 2006
| 2007 £m | 2006 £m |
Actuarial gains/(losses) on defined benefit pension plans | (113) | 219 |
Gains on available for sale securities | 19 | 1 |
Gains on available for sale securities transferred to profit or loss on sale | (1) | - |
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations | (1) | (9) |
Tax on items taken directly to equity | 9 | (66) |
Net gain/(loss) recognised directly in equity | (87) | 145 |
Profit for the year | 685 | 68 |
Total recognised income and expense for the year | 598 | 213 |
Attributable to: Equity holders of the parent | 598 | 213 |
For the years ended 31 December 2007 and 2006
| 2007 £m | 2006 £m |
Net cash flow used in operating activities | ||
Profit for the year | 685 | 68 |
Adjustments for: |
| |
Non cash items included in net profit | 1,307 | 1,125 |
Change in operating assets | (12,411) | (9,636) |
Change in operating liabilities | (785) | (3,387) |
Income taxes paid | (5) | (60) |
Effects of exchange rate differences | 396 | (1,196) |
Net cash flow used in operating activities | (10,813) | (13,086) |
Net cash flows (used in)/ from investing activities | ||
Dividends received from associates | - | 3 |
Investment in associates | (8) | (1) |
Disposal of subsidiaries, net of cash disposed | 5 | 244 |
Disposal of non-controlling interest in subsidiaries | 203 | - |
Purchase of tangible and intangible fixed assets | (407) | (230) |
Proceeds from sale of tangible and intangible fixed assets | 8 | 5 |
Sale/(purchase) of non-dealing securities | 3 | (9) |
Net cash flow (used in)/from investing activities | (196) | 12 |
Net cash flow from financing activities | ||
Issue of loan capital | 13,363 | 10,778 |
Repayment of loan capital | (8,587) | (8,813) |
Dividends paid | - | (207) |
Net cash flow from financing activities | 4,776 | 1,758 |
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents | (6,233) | (11,316) |
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year | (3,847) | 8,241 |
Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (725) | (772) |
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year | (10,805) | (3,847) |
Abbey National plc ('Abbey') is a wholly owned subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A. ('Santander') (SAN.MC, STD.N). Founded in 1857, Santander has more than 69 million customers, over 11,000 offices and a presence in over 40 countries. It is the largest financial group in Spain and is a major player in Latin America and elsewhere in Europe, including in the United Kingdom (through Abbey) and in Portugal. Through Santander Consumer it also operates a leading consumer finance franchise in Germany, Italy, Spain and ten other European countries.
Santander has a secondary listing of its ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange and Abbey continues to have its preference shares listed on the London Stock Exchange. Nothing in this preliminary results announcement constitutes or should be construed as constituting a profit forecast.
Abbey and Santander both caution that this preliminary results announcement may contain forward-looking statements. The US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 contains a safe harbour for forward-looking statements on which we rely in making such statements in documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward looking statements are found in various places throughout this preliminary results announcement. Words such as 'believes', 'anticipates', 'expects', 'intends', 'aims' and 'plans' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements, but they are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements concerning our future business development and economic performance. These forward looking statements are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections and both Abbey and Santander caution that these statements are not guarantees of future p erformance. We also caution readers that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, (1) inflation, interest rate, exchange rate, market and monetary fluctuations; (2) the effect of, and changes to, regulation and government policy; (3) the effects of competition in the geographic and business areas in which we conduct operations; (4) technological changes; and (5) our success at managing the risks of the foregoing. The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Abbey or Santander, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and events. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Statements as to historical performance, historical share price or financial accretion are not intended to mean that future performance, future share price or future earnings (including earnings per share) for any period will necessarily match or exceed those of any prior year.
The financial information set out in this preliminary results announcement does not constitute Abbey's statutory accounts for the years ended 31 December 2007 or 2006, but is derived from those accounts. Statutory accounts for 2006 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and those for 2007 will be delivered in due course. The auditors have reported on those accounts; their reports were unqualified and did not contain statements under sections 237(2) or (3) Companies Act 1985.
Matthew Young (Communications Director) 020 7756 4232
Anthony Frost (Head of Media Relations) 020 7756 5536
Bruce Rush (Investor Relations) 020 7756 4275
Simon Donovan (Investor Relations) 020 7756 4476
For more information contact: ir@abbey.com
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| ABBEY NATIONAL PLC | |
| Dated: 5 March 2008 | By / s / Jessica Petrie | |
| (Authorised Signatory) | ||
