OREANDA-NEWS. National Rating Agency has affirmed its national scale 'A+' credit rating on Joint Stock Company Commercial Bank "Lanta - Bank". The outlook for the rating is stable. In 2009, the bank was assigned NRA's 'A' credit rating, which was raised to 'A+' in 2014.

The rating is supported by the bank's stable liquidity position (with liquidity ratios comfortably above the regulatory minima, liquid assets comprising around 27% of net assets and a trading portfolio that can be used as a source of additional liquidity) and strong profitability metrics (an annual return on assets, ROA, of 2.1% and an annual return on equity, ROE, of 17.1% at the end of the nine months ended Sep 30, 2015; in addition, the bank earned around RUR 342.5 million , during the nine months ended Sep 30, up 22% year-on-year). NRA also notes the maintained quality of the bank's loan book (greater collateral-to-loan ratio and low delinquency rate combined with a modest level of renegotiated/ restructured loans), the stable customer base, as well as the owner's involvement in the bank operative management.

The rating is constrained by Lanta Bank's high equity immobilization ratio and the fact that in the past few years, the bank has been relying solely on its internal resources for growth, using sources such as retained profit and property revaluation.