(Australia) – A major write-down of funds management arm Colonial is expected to figure in first half earnings from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which are due to be released this week.The CBA will release its results for the six months to December 31, 2002, and some analysts are tipping that the Colonial business – acquired as part of the A$9 billion merger with the Colonial group in 2000 – will be written down by as much as A$2 billion.
CBA posted a record A$1.204 billion net profit for corresponding period in 2001, and the market is expecting a result – before abnormals – of around A$1.19 billion.