FINANCIAL SERVICES

BANCA DEL MEZZOGIORNO - MEDIOCREDITO CENTRALE SPA

During 2014 Banca del Mezzogiorno-MedioCredito Centrale (MCC) continued to provide support for creditworthy companies operating in southern Italy, through its lending activities and by promoting and facilitating access to government subsidies.
In February the bank raised fresh capital of €232 million in order to fund an expected increase in medium/long-term lending. In this respect, the bank set up various distribution channels to increase penetration of the various segments and markets. Alongside loan products, associated with collateral or personal guarantees, to support the investment needs of manufacturing companies operating in the eight regions that make up southern Italy, MCC also added a line of products to its offering for households (primarily mortgages and personal salary loans), enabling it, among other things, to diversify risk and reduce funding costs.
The bank’s management of public funds and subsidies, and above all of the Fondo di Garanzia per le PMI (a guarantee fund for SMEs), continued to expand: applications, numbering over 89,900, are up 7.9% on 2013, with over 86,000 approved loans, totalling approximately €13 billion (up 19.7% compared with 2013).
Regarding the incentives for national research projects promoted by the Ministry for Economic Development (MISE), as head of temporary consortium of companies, the bank was awarded a contract to provide an assistance and support service for research, development and innovation project subsidies within the scope of the Sustainable Growth Fund. The Fund promotes various types of initiative, including those aimed at supporting technological research and development projects.

In 2014 the bank reported net income from banking activities of €100.6 million (€64.2 million in 2013) and net interest income of €43.7 million (€21.1 million in 2013). Total loans and advances amount to €1.3 billion at the end of 2014, compared with the €771 million registered at the end of 2013. Net fees are also up (€41.1 million in 2014, compared with the €35.4 million in the previous year), primarily generated by management of the Fondo Centrale di Garanzia per le PMI (central guarantee fund for SMEs).
Net profit for 2014 amounts to €37.6 million (€11.6 million in 2013).