Taiwan

Yet mergers of key players might be postponed due to the coming presidential elections.

Experts believe trend to continue amidst the possible signing of an insurance trade pact between Taiwan and China and Taiwan’s 2012 presidential elections.

ABC and Taiwan Cooperative Bank will enter into comprehensive cooperation in corporate banking, investment banking, treasury operations, trade finance, custody business, risk management, information exchange and personnel training.

ABC has signed a memorandum of understanding with Cathay United Bank to enter into broad cooperation in several areas.

The lender cleared to hold financing, syndicated lending, purchasing and holding securities, remittances and foreign-exchange trading services in the US city.

ICBC is the fourth Chinese bank with which First Bank had signed an MOU for overseas expansion. 

Move in response to customers who like to see their deposit rates surge in line with actions taken by the Taiwanese central bank.

Cathay United Bank, Mega International Commercial Bank, and Mega Financial Holding Co. forge cooperation in corporate lending, bancassurance, retail banking and personnel training with AgBank.

Taiwan's higher loan-to-value loans had a higher gross default ratio of around 5%, while the one with lower LTV loans showed a better performance of 2%, says Moody's.

Taiwan earlier planned to increase the government's stake in CHB and to persuade Taishin to sell some of its CHB stocks to state-owned banks.

The lender posted a return on asset of 1.18% and return on equity of 18.75%.

Part of the lender’s M&A scheme is to set up subsidiaries in China or buy stakes in local banks.

DBS Taiwan’s first-quarter earnings more than doubled year-on-year with record earnings of SGD 807 million or NTD 18.6 billion.

DBS Bank inaugurated its new Taiwan headquarters at Shin Kong Xinyi Financial Center at the heart of Taipei’s financial district.

Policy holders can receive payments for death and permanent incapacitation, as they can get up to 40% of the total coverage if they incurred a major accident.

The improving financials may be more cyclical than structural, said Fitch.