Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean Fitzpatrick has told shareholders that trading in the three months to the end of December had been strong and he expected the trend to continue throughout the year.
Anglo's financial year runs from October to September.
He told the AGM business lending would continue to be the key driver of the bank’s growth. 'We will seek to further deepen our lending franchise with new and existing clients in Ireland, the UK and North America,' Mr Fitzpatrick said.
Anglo's chief executive David Drumm said last week's placing would be used for 'organic opportunities'.
He said there was an emphasis on all three of the bank's markets - Ireland, the UK and the US. He said the outlook for the Irish market is very benign from the bank's point of view, and that its franchise is particularly strong here in Ireland.
Shares in the bank closed up 14 cent to €13.09 in Dublin this evening.
