Annual report 2005 DnB NOR Group 2005 NORDnB Group www.dnbnor.com • Frits Thaulow, A Winterday, 1890 • The works of art featured in the annual report are The annual report has been produced by DnB NOR Shareholders registered as owners in DnB NOR ASA part of DnB NOR’s collection. This is one of Norway’s Corporate Communications, Group Financal Report- with the Norwegian Central Securities Depository largest private art collections, consisting of over ing and DnB NOR Graphic Centre. (VPS) can now receive annual reports electronically 10 000 works of art dating back from the end of the Design: Marit Høyland, Graphic Centre instead of by regular mail. For more information, 1800s to the present day. The works of art are on Photos: Stig B. Fiksdal and Anne-Line Bakken please contact your VPS registrar or go directly to display in DnB NOR’s offices in Norway and abroad, Print: Grafix AS www.vps.no/erapport.html. where they can be enjoyed by employees, customers and other visitors. 2005 in brief 4 Key fi gures and fi nancial calendar 5 From the desk of the CEO 6 What DnB NOR aspires to be 8 Directors’ report 10 Corporate governance 28 Risk and capital management 32 Stakeholders • Shareholders Contents • Customers 50 • Employees 52 • Society and the environment 5 Business areas 58 Staff and support units 76 Annual accounts 79 Auditor’s and Control Committee’s reports 158 Special articles • Pension reform 160 • Stability in the Norwegian economy 162 Contact information 164 Governing bodies 166 The Group’s annual report has been approved by the Board of Directors in the original Norwegian version. This is an English translation. Works of art, from the left: • Karl Erik Harr, Torghatten, oil, 1980, © Karl Erik Harr • Edvard Munch, Woman with red Hair and green Eyes. The Sin, 1902, © Edvard Munch / BONO 2006 • Gunnar S. Gundersen, Composition, 1979, © Gunnar S. Gundersen / BONO 2006 • Gunnar Torvund, Reminder Panel, unknown date, © Gunnar Torvund / BONO 2006 • Lars Tiller, title unknown, © Lars Tiller / BONO 2006 2005 in brief Pre-tax operating profits before write-downs (NOK million): 12 67 (9 391) Profits for the year (NOK million): 10 441 (8 21) Earnings per share (NOK): 7.59 (6.25) Proposed dividend (NOK): 3.50 (2.55) Total combined assets at year-end (NOK billion): 1 63 (1 244) Return on equity (per cent): 18.8 (17.7) (200 in parentheses) First quarter • Accounts for the first quarter of 2005 were presented in accordance with new international reporting standards, IFRS • As the first bank in Norway, DnB NOR launched an exchange-traded fund, DnB NOR OBX • DnB NOR ASA’s Board of Directors approved new equal opportunity measures for the Group Second quarter • DnB NOR and Norway Post renewed until 2012 the agreement on the sale of Postbanken’s services in the postal network • The Group sold its holdings in Pan Fish and Aurora Salmon • The process of re-profiling all branch offices to the new DnB NOR image was completed • DnB NOR entered into an agreement to become one of the global founding partners for the Nobel Peace Center 2005 in brief • The Group featured on the list of the 500 largest global companies • The new Group Board of Directors was elected, with 1 per cent female representation • The credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s upgraded DnB NOR Bank ASA from A to A+ Third quarter • DnB NOR launched first-home loans with interest rate ceiling for the customer group young adults • Vital excluded 3 international companies from its investment portfolio based on new ethical management guidelines • Nordlandsbanken was continued as a separate bank following approval by the Ministry of Finance • DnB NOR Boligkreditt was established in response to increased competition within housing finance • The Group sent an application to Kredittilsynet for permission to use the Advanced Internal Ratings-Based approach (IRB) for credit risk to calculate the Group’s capital adequacy according to new capital adequacy regulations, Basel II • Asset Management launched the ”Save Smart” concept, consisting of five packaged fund portfolios Fourth quarter • DnB NOR established the jointly-owned bank DnB NORD together with the German bank NORD/LB • Vital and Norway Post signed the market’s largest defined-contribution pension agreement • The Board of Directors adopted new corporate social responsibility guidelines for asset management and credit operations • DnB NOR became one of the main sponsors of the “Ibsen Year 2006” DnB NOR ASA 2005 DnB NOR DnB NOR Vital Vital Vital Bank ASA Kapital- Link AS Skade AS Forsikring ASA forvaltning Holding AS annual report Subsidiaries Subsidiaries Subsidiaries DnB NOR Profit and loss accounts Pro forma Amounts in NOK million 2005 2004 Net interest income 13 610 13 306 Net other ordinary operating income 11 721 10 86 Ordinary operating expenses 12 711 13 326 Other expenses 153 1 076 Key figures and financial calendar Pre-tax operating profit before write-downs 12 67 9 391 Net gains on fixed and intangible assets 775 91 Write-downs on loans and guarantees 133 (179) Pre-tax operating profit 13 109 10 8 Taxes 2 965 2 322 Profit from discontinuing operations after taxes 0 79 Profit for the year 10 144 8 21 Earnings per share (NOK) 7.59 6.25 Key figures Balance sheets Pro forma Amounts in NOK million 31 Dec. 2005 31 Dec. 2004 Total assets 1 081 191 911 702 Net lending to customers 697 50 583 31 Deposits from customers 10 991 353 08 Average total assets for the year 997 527 898 615 Key figures Pro forma 2005 2004 Return on equity (%) 18.8 17.7 Dividends per share (NOK) 3.50 2.55 Core capital ratio (%) 7. 7.6 Capital adequacy ratio (%) 10.2 10.7 Loan-loss ratio (%) 0.02 (0.03) Combined interest rate spread (%) 2.21 2.37 Share price at year-end (NOK) 72.00 59.75 Equity per share including accrued dividend at end of period (NOK) 3.65 38.06 Price/book value (including accrued dividend) 1.65 1.57 Financial calendar 2006 2005 First quarter Second quarter Third quarter 11 May 10 August 2 November Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual General Meeting 25 April Distribution of dividends: 8 May The Annual General Meeting will be held annual report Tuesday, 25 April 2006 at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Bristol, Kristian IV’s gt 7, Oslo. Ex-dividend date: 26 April DnB NOR 5 When DnB NOR was established on December resulting from an expansion built on five solid pillars: 2003, the Group had a market capitalisation of • We are the gateway to Norway and Norway’s financial NOK 58 billion. In January 2006, our market capi- representation in international markets. Through our talisation passed the NOK 100 billion mark. Based on branch offices we can serve businesses throughout From the desk of the CEO the proposed dividend for 2005, we will have distrib- the world. We have an international presence within uted NOK 10 billion in dividends to our owners since business sectors such as shipping and energy. We the merger. At the same time, we have been able to are one of the world’s largest shipping banks. reduce costs and consequently offer our customers • In 2005, we defined Sweden as part of our home more competitive prices thanks to the dedicated ef- market, and the Swedish loan portfolio was dou- forts and enthusiasm of thousands of staff members. bled through organic growth and the acquisition of This has also resulted in DnB NOR now having more portfolios. At the same time, we are already one of customers than ever, despite all predictions to the Sweden’s leading asset managers and at the end of contrary. the year four of the ten best equity funds in Sweden 2005 was the year when DnB NOR’s operations were managed by DnB NOR Asset Management. took on a new dimension. At the beginning of 2006, we • During the year, we established a cooperation with have approximately 2 200 employees outside Norway, Norddeutsche Landesbank LB. The new company, DnB NORD, commenced its operations in January 2006. Headquartered in Denmark, the new bank will serve Finland, the Baltic region and Poland. We are already the third largest bank in Lithuania and becoming an increasingly important market partici- pant in Latvia and Poland. • During 2005, we also completed negotiations to acquire the Russian Monchebank in Murmansk, where we now have more than 100 000 retail cust- omers, 350 corporate customers and close to 200 employees. We have had a presence in Murmansk for many years, but our new initiative represents a considerable upgrading of what we can offer both Russian and international customers in one of Russia’s most exciting economic regions. • Asia is an important market for DnB NOR. In the Group chief executive course of 2006, we will open a branch in Shanghai, where we previously have had a representative office. Our branch in Singapore has the primary responsibil- ity for our expansion in Asia. The most important customers for DnB NOR are those we already have. Irrespective of our initiatives abroad, Norway and the Norwegian domestic market represent the core of our operations. This is where we will defend and further develop our position as Norway’s strongest and best financial services group. But what we do abroad is also a direct consequence of the desire to maintain our strong position in the domestic market. An increasing number of companies are engaging in cross-border business activities. More Norwegians are A new international reality moving abroad and need financial institutions that can accompany them.