State Bank of India Q3 net up 14%, beats forecast

State Bank of India, the country's top lender, posted a 14% rise in quarterly net profit today, beating forecast, bolstered by credit demand growth and fee income.

State Bank of India, the country's top lender, posted a 14% rise in quarterly net profit on Saturday, beating forecast, bolstered by credit demand growth and fee income.

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The bank and rivals ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank are seeing a surge in demand for loans in a rapidly growing economy, but rising interest rates are a concern for the sector.

State Bank posted a net profit of 28.28 billion rupees ($620 million) in the fiscal third quarter ended December, versus 24.79 billion rupees a year earlier.

A Reuters poll of 16 brokerages had forecast profit to grow 10% to 27.15 billion rupees.

Shares of State Bank of India, valued at $35 billion, rose nearly 24% in 2010, compared with a 17% rise in the main market and 33% gain in the banking sector index.