	vereins und westbank to reorganize network und westbank ag vhbg f plans to streamline its branch network to improve its distribution of financial services management board member eberhard rainer luckey said he told a news conference on results that branches in hamburg and schleswig holstein would be merged or closed a branch in frankfurt opened and that the bank was considering opening a branch in london luckey said the bank s total operating profits rose nearly pct in parent bank net profit rose to mln from mln and the dividend remained unchanged at marks the group balance sheet including for the first time vereinwest overseas finance jersey rose pct to billion marks luckey said the parent bank balance sheet rose mln marks to billion while business volume was almost unchanged at billion credit volume eased to billion from billion while loans to companies rose seven pct foreign business and securities trading turnover also increased higher ings from trading on the bank s own account contributed to record operating profits net interest income rose on firmer interest margins by mln marks to mln net commission income rose mln to mln luckey said foreign commercial business was influenced by a fall in west german foreign trade but ings were still satisfactory the bank s exposure in latin america was less than two pct of its total foreign credit and in africa less than one pct the bank continued to sell some of its exposure in and will also continue to stock up risk provisions he said reuter 
