	laenderbank expects modest profit rise in oesterreichische laenderbank ag olbv vi expects to maintain its dividend and to record a moderate rise in profits this year after the mln schilling net profit made in general director gerhard wagner said wagner told a news conference that last year s pct rise in net profit from mln in was largely due to greater domestic business and wider margins on schilling interest rates the bank austria s third largest raised its dividend to pct of its billion schilling nominal share capital from pct on capital of billion in announcing the results wagner said we will endeavour to maintain the higher dividend in laenderbank s balance sheet total rose five pct to billion schillings against pct growth in foreign currency business last year accounted for some pct of balance sheet total compared with about pct in wagner blamed the realtive shrinkage of foreign business chiefly on the dollar s fall against the schilling which is effectively pegged to the mark the dollar s weakness had wiped some billion schillings off the balance sheet total wagner declined to give an exact figure for profits from the bank s london branch which opened in april but said that it came close to one mln stg on schilling lending profit on interest had risen pct to billion schillings while commission ings climbed pct to mln according to the federal budget the state is due to lower its stake pct in laenderbank probably to pct wagner said the exact timing of the move depended on the state reuter 
