ING group reports its first loss

Dutch banking giant ING has reported its first quarterly loss for the three months to the end of September.

The group said it made a loss of 585m euros (£478m;$737m) for the period, compared with a profit of 1.95bn euros for the same period last year.

Net profits for the first nine months of the year fell by more than half compared with the same period in 2007.

The bank received 10bn euros from the Dutch government in October to help it cope with the financial crisis.

Michel Tilmant, chairman of ING, described his company's performance as "resilient" in light of the "challenging and highly competitive environment".

Net profits for the first nine months fell 56% compared with the same period last year, from 6.76bn euros to 2.98bn euros.

Retail deposits grew by 6.7bn euros and total bank deposits increased by 12.9bn euros, taking out the impact of foreign exchange.

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