• ING Group's 3Q12 net result was EUR 609 million, or EUR 0.16 per share, including divestments and special items.
  • Bank underlying result before tax was solid at EUR 1,021 million despite the negative impact of CVA/DVA, de-risking losses and higher risk costs. The underlying interest margin rose to 1.33% from 1.26% in 2Q12.
  • Insurance operating result was EUR 238 million. Underlying result before tax declined to EUR 44 million, including negative results on hedges in place to protect regulatory capital.
  • Capital ratios strengthened: Bank core Tier 1 ratio increased to 12.1%; Insurance IGD solvency ratio rose to 249%.

Chairman's Statement

"During the third quarter, ING continued to deliver on its restructuring plan amid a challenging operating environment. We announced the first three sales of our Asian Insurance/IM units, and Insurance US is making strides in its IPO preparations. At the same time, together with the Dutch State, we have made good progress in our constructive dialogue with the European Commission about revisions to the restructuring plan," said Jan Hommen, CEO of ING Group. "At ING Bank, we announced the sales of ING Direct Canada and the UK as we sharpen our strategic focus. We also accelerated de-risking efforts, selling EUR 2.4 billion of European debt securities and releasing EUR 5 billion of RWA. The Bank posted a solid quarter, supported by a gain on the sale of our stake in Capital One. At Insurance we kept hedges in place to protect regulatory capital; however, losses on these hedges continued to affect results."

 

"As we work to solidify strong stand-alone futures for Bank and Insurance, we are taking steps to increase our agility in this uncertain environment. At Insurance Europe we are accelerating a transformation programme at Nationale-Nederlanden to sharpen its strategic focus and improve processes and systems. These measures, together with delayering of support functions, will result in a reduction in the workforce of 1,350 FTEs and annual savings of approximately EUR 200 million by the end of 2014. At Commercial Banking, we conducted a strategic review and have decided to simplify our business model and exit some businesses outside of ING's home markets. These measures will reduce the workforce by 1,000 FTEs and lower expenses by EUR 260 million from 2015 onwards."

 

"It is painful to announce such steps today, because throughout these challenging times employees at all levels have worked tirelessly to prepare businesses for divestment, secure strong stand-alone futures for Bank and Insurance, and ensure that we are prepared for industry changes and regulatory requirements. And while our employees have gone through a whirlwind of change during the last four years, they have consistently placed their highest priority on supporting our customers. I am grateful for these contributions and am confident that these efforts, combined with further streamlining, will strengthen our company for the long-term benefit of all stakeholders."