Sagicor Bank suffered a computer glitch in February, leading to statements for a number of some customers having no interest reflected on them, on balances on which interest was due.
There are no indications that the bank advised their clients about the error, and when it would have been corrected. in March the bank adjusted for the error but made customers no wiser. not only did they correct for the omission for February they compounded it by included the charge with that of March, without any indication for the larger than usual interest charge on the statement.
Interest on US dollar credit cards are 18 percent per annum, or 1.5 percent per month, the March statements show that they in fact charged around 3 percent. Based on the amount outstanding on a specific card the interest rate of 1.5 percent should have resulted in a charge of roughly $52, instead the bank charged $97.46 or what appears on the surface of overcharging of $45.
IC Insider spoke with a Mr. Erwin Lyons a supervisor at the bank who indicated that there was a computer glitch which was not resolved before the February statements, flowing from that the March statements now show the charges for February and March as one sum. Lyons indicates, that the problem affected both local and US dollar based cards. Lyons could not say why no notification was sent to customers about the matter nor why the amounts were not shown separately on the statement, but he did indicate that customers should have been advised about it.
Sagicor messes up interest charge?
Will NCB pick up RBC Cayman?
Hot on the heels of an agreement to sell RBC Royal Bank (Suriname) N.V. (“RBC Suriname”), to Republic Bank in Trinidad, word reaching IC Insider is that Royal Bank’s operations in the Cayman Island is being sold.
The bank’s website shows three branches in that territory. IC Insider’s source informs us that Michael Lee Chin, Chairman of National Commercial Bank has been seen on the island frequently in recent times, but a comment from National Commercial Bank’s Cayman representative was numb when asked if his bank is buying the RBC operations, but there was no denial suggesting, strongly that NCB is a potential candidate.
RBC Canada stated when they announced the sale of the Suriname bank that “As we continue to focus our Caribbean operations on markets in which we can be a leading competitor for the long-term, we have made the decision to sell RBC Suriname to Republic Bank Limited,” said Kirk Dudtschak, executive vice-president and head, RBC Caribbean Banking. “This transaction supports the successful repositioning of our Caribbean business for the future and allows us to focus on markets where we can strengthen our operational capabilities and where we see opportunities for growth.”
Last year RBC sold the Jamaican operations to Sagicor Group after the entity lost billion of dollars and showed no sign of a turn around.
Republic US$140m acquisitions
Trinidad’s Republic Bank is in a quiet acquisition mood, having made an offer to takeover of 60 percent of HFC Bank of Ghana it does not own, that is likely to cost up to US$102 million. At the start of April Republic announced, along with Royal Bank of Canada, an agreement to acquire RBC Royal Bank (Suriname) N.V. (“RBC Suriname”), subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
“As we continue to focus our Caribbean operations on markets in which we can be a leading competitor for the long-term, we have made the decision to sell RBC Suriname to Republic Bank Limited,” said Kirk Dudtschak, executive vice-president and head, RBC Caribbean Banking. “This transaction supports the successful repositioning of our Caribbean business for the future and allows us to focus on markets where we can strengthen our operational capabilities and where we see opportunities for growth.”
Republic Bank in a release to the Trinidad Stock exchange disclosed a purchase price of US$39.8 million. RBC Canada reported that, the purchase price approximately reflects the book value of RBC Suriname and expects the transaction to result in a loss of C$23 million largely related to an estimated write-down for the proportionate share of RBC Suriname goodwill and other intangibles. In 2014, RBC Canada sold off its Jamaican operations to Sagicor Group.
Republic’s David Dulal-Whiteway, Managing Director said the acquisition fits in perfectly with his bank’s regional expansion strategy, and once completed, will expand the group to 8 territories in the Caribbean. According to Dulal-Whiteway, RBC Suriname operates a six branch network, with assets of approximately US$525 million and 199 employees.
Republic has assets of US$9.4 billion and made an offer to acquire all of the shares held by minorities in HFC Bank in Ghana under a mandatory takeover rule of the Ghana Security Exchange. Republic already holds 40 percent of the bank.
Pan Jam & Sagicor Financial better buys
I am of the view that a Jamaican investor looking to get in to SGJ would be best served by purchasing either Pan Jam or Sagicor Financial Corporation (SFC) or both.
Pan Jam because it is trading at a discount to equity as well as being very heavily invested in Jamaican real estate with excellent levels of occupation and with large minority positions in mostly export oriented companies. The vast bulk of its revenue is derived from SGJ as a result of the 31+% shareholding. Sagicor Group (SJ) has also recently gone in to Central America in addition to their Cayman subsidiary which acts as a hedge against further devaluation of the JA$.
SFC because it trades at a significant discount to equity as well as having most of its asset base (about 66%) outside of Jamaica and most of that in currencies which are fixed against the US$ also therefore acting as a hedge against JA$ devaluation. Further, in my view, the T&T and Barbados markets are discounting almost entirely the value of SJ which allows for better value for a Jamaican investor in SFC.
SJ itself is also trading below equity. In my view, the first attached article supports my argument for purchase of either company to get the benefit of SGJ. The second analysis done by myself in May 2011 using the approach identified in the first article attempts to identify the “true” value of SFC.
At close of trading today (Friday 10/10/2014) the market capitalisation of SJ exceeds that of SFC on a constant currency basis by TT$210,939,023 (J$3,743,302,723). I suspect that it was the recognition of this problem which caused SFC to delist from the JSE.
I am a shareholder in SFC and I live in T&T.
Roland Bynoe
5 months of deflation for Jamaica
Jamaica is enjoying a respite in upward price movements since October last year with the price of oil on the world market having collapsed from US$100 per barrel to hover around US$50. The country had a 0.1 percent inflation in October, but declined in each of the following months, with the latest data showing February 2015 with a 0.7 percent decline in the All Jamaica ‘All Divisions’ Consumer Price Index. This followed the fall of 0.5 percent in January. Year-to-date inflation to February 2015, is -1.1 percent and since November last year the decline is 2 percent.
The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) indicated that the “main contributor to the decline, was a 3.6 percent decrease in the index for the division ‘Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels’ resulting from lower rates for electricity and water. The reduction was tempered by an upward movement in the wages for carpenters, masons, plumbers, painters and electricians during the month. Also contributing to the decline was a 0.6 percent fall in ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages’, the heaviest weighted division. All other divisions recorded movements of below 0.5 percent.”
Increase were experienced by certain categories with ‘Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco’ increasing by 0.3 percent, ‘Clothing and Footwear’ 0.2 percent, ‘Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance’ 0.3 percent ‘Health’ 0.4 percent, ‘Transport’ 0.1 percent, ‘Recreation and Culture’ 0.3 percent and ‘Miscellaneous Goods and Services’ 0.2 percent. ‘Communication’, ‘Education’ and ‘Restaurants and Accommodation Services’ recorded negligible movement for the period under review, Statin stated.
Eileen Chin resigns from Lasco
Eileen Chin has resigned as the Managing Director of LASM with effect from March 2, 2015 a release from LASCO Manufacturing Limited (LASM) announced.
The company advised that Robert Parkins has been employed with effect from March 3, 2015 as the General Manager of the company with responsibility for the day to day operations, reporting directly to the Executive Chairman. The resignation appears sudden has there was no prior notification of her intention to step down from the position she had held for several years.
Lascelles Chin, Executive Chairman informed IC Insider that Eileen Chin was taking a break from the operations but will be back before long. The company has been on a long period of expansion of the plant, costing more than $3 billion. Last year the liquid plant started the production of water and juices. The plant for powdered products is to be operational in 2015.
$450m rights issue for Sterling
Sterling Investments Limited is setting to raise around J$450 million by way of a renounceable rights issue by April this year. The opening date of the issue will be March 18, with closure set for April 8.
Before the issue, the directors are planning to get approval for a stock split which IC Insider understands is likely to be 10 new shares for each one now existing. This means that the right issue price should be under $13.40, the price that the stock has traded at recently, assuming the split takes effect at the above ratio.
The company has called an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders for February 21, 2015 in St. Lucia to consider increasing the share capital, approving the stock split, authorizing the Directors to implement a Rights Issue and to carry out all steps and documents needed to give effect to the stock split and to implement the Right Issue.
Sterling is primarily involved in investing funds in mostly debt capital denominated in foreign currencies. At September last year, profit from operations totalled $48.36 million or 16 cents per share and total comprehensive income ended at $62.8 million. For the September quarter, profit amounted of $9.9 million down from $12.57 million in 2013 with negative total comprehensive income of $2.3 million. At end the end of the period equity capital amounted $544 million. NCB Capital Markets are the brokers to the rights issue.
The Directors intend to consider the payment of a final dividend at the Directors meeting that is scheduled on February 21, 2015. The company paid a dividend of J$1.35 in June last year.
Agostini’s acquires Facey in Barbados
Agostini’s Limited, a Trinidad and Tobago listed company said on Friday that it acquired all the shares in Facey Trading a fast moving consumer goods Barbadian company.
Facey Trading is a distribution business operating in Barbados and was owned by Facey Group with headquarters in Jamaica. Paul Scott of Facey Group, confirm the sale to Agostini’s. They approached us with an offer and we decided to sell, we sold the business but kept the property which is leased to the new owners of the business Scott, confirmed in an interview with IC Insider. It would appear that the size and state of the Barbadian economy played a role in the decision to sell. Facey Group continues to operate in Barbados in the IT and telecom phone card sector Scott said.
Agostini’s reported profit of TT$27 million for the first quarter to December 2014 from revenues of TT$408 million compared with profit of $27 million from revenues of $378 million in the 2013 period. For the year to September 2014 revenues came in at $1.36 billion resulting on full year’s profit of $80.5 million. Earnings per share for the quart was 46 cents and $1.36 for the full year. The stock last traded at $17.60. Agostini’s is involved in pharmaceutical, personal care, food and construction product distribution.
Rights for TCL shareholders
Shareholders in Trinidad Cement will be offered additional shares in the company by way of a rights Issue of 124,882,568 new shares, to be priced at TT$2.90 per share. Shareholders will be offered the right to purchase one new share for every two shares held. The stock last traded at $2.70 on Thursday on the Trinidad Stock exchange. The issue if fully taken up will raise $362,159,447 for the company.
The issue will be underwritten by up to US$45 million by Sierra Trading an affiliate of Cemex SAB to ensure that the minimum funding targeted of US50 is met. In order to have the underwriting of that magnitude the company needed to and got permission of shares at an extraordinary meeting to lift a 20 percent shareholding limitation, in case the shareholders did not subscribed to enough of the rights they are entitled to.
Sierra Trading will take up the rights due them on their 20 percent ownership of the group. The agreement stipulates that if after the rights issue the underwriting company does not get up to 35 percent of the shares of TCL then there will be a private placement of TCL shares to bring the holdings to 35 percent of TCL issued shares.
Carib Cement One of the groups subsidiaries
TCL is loaded down with debt at relatively high interest rates. The debt at the end of 2013 was just under TT$2 billion all of which has been switched to current liabilities as a result of the default occasioned by the decision of the company to suspend payment on the debt pending negotiation of the terms. Equity stood at TT$570 million at the end of September, well below the debt. All amounts are in TT dollars. If the fresh capital is raised equity will reach around $1 billion and loans should decline to around $1.3 billion by the end of 2015 or close to a one for one relationship between debt and equity. The improved capital profile of the company should allow them to finance the remaining debt at a more advantageous cost than currently.
The rights is not badly priced as the stock an IC Insider BUY RATED seal of approval is severely undervalued on the TTSE. Investors will of course take into consideration negative economic development in Trinidad its main market with the fall in oil prices world wide an its impact on revenues for the country.
Lower rates to drive JPS profits
There has been much made about the OUR cutting the rate for Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and the likely effect on investment in the sector. Unfortunately, many who are critical of the reduction failed to make the point that when JPS was guaranteed a 16 percent rate of return, interest rates locally were well above present levels.
Secondly, just over 12 percent after tax is a good rate of return when one considers that international interest rate are so low and treasury bills rate locally, have been declining and is now under 7 per annum. One of the most telling factors is that JPS is by no means the most efficient company especially with its plants, and newer ones will reduce cost to operate, thus helping to improve their bottom line. Most telling now, is that the lower price of electricity occasioned by lower oil prices will drive up consumption thus helping to improve JPS profits. With the latest announcement of a cut in billing rates JPS must be quietly cheering and hoping that oil remains low for a very long time.
In its latest release the power company states that “the Fuel & IPP charge on bills will be reduced by 18%, moving from $19.350 per kWh in January to $15.760 per kWh on bills this month. This will contribute to an overall reduction of 11% on customers’ bills should their usage remain consistent.”
It is also important to note that the Fuel and IPP Rate in US terms for February is 13.608 cents, the lowest the rate has been in US denomination in almost six years. The Fuel and IPP charge makes up more than 60% of customers’ electricity bills, and changes from one month to the next, depending on how much JPS pays Petrojam for the oil used to produce electricity. The fuel rate that appears on bills each month is based on the cost of the fuel used to generate electricity in the previous month.”
“JPS encourages customers to continue their conservation efforts, despite the drop in the Fuel Charge on bills, as the total amount on bills is determined by how much electricity is used.”