Bumper payout for BHW's shareholders

BHW will pay out all of last year's profit, some zł.414 million, and zł.1.15 billion from the firm's equity in dividends on that date, but will change its dividend policy in 2006. "We would like to earmark part of the profit for the development of the bank," declared BHW president Sławomir Sikora. This year's dividend payout is to lower the bank's equity in order to improve its ROE. It will also decrease its solvency ratio, which for several years has exceeded 20%. "After the dividend payout our solvency ratio will remain on the safe level of over 12%. It will allow us to develop and at the same time to retain the security of our customers' deposits," said Sikora. The bank wants to increase its ROE, which amounted to just 7.3% in 2004, to 20%, but Sikora has not revealed whether this aim will be achieved this year or in 2006. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 4) E.B.