Secure Trust Bank - V12 Retail Finance to support refreshed targets

In its Q323 trading update, Secure Trust Bank (STB) posted 1.7% q o q growth in net lending alongside 2.6% growth in its deposits. This was despite a 7% fall in new business lending from an elevated Q223 comparable as consumer spending weakened. More importantly, STB also hosted a capital markets day (CMD), where management reiterated the medium-term 14–16% return on average equity (RoAE) target and presented on the V12 Retail Finance business in detail. The RoAE should be supported by an improved mix weighted towards Retail Finance, combined with moderated volume growth and greater cost efficiency. Project Fusion is developing well and has now been extended to deliver annualised savings of £5m by the end of FY24. We have only changed our estimates for the issue of 0.2m shares under the employee share plan.