National Bank profits up as it works to integrate Canadian Western Bank

The head office of the National Bank is seen in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

National Bank of Canada reported a rise in fourth quarter profits as it continues to integrate Canadian Western Bank into its operations and looks to do the same with Laurentian’s retail banking assets.

The bank reported a profit of $1.06 billion, up from $955 million a year ago, as it benefited from the larger operation and market activity boosted its capital markets division.

Montreal-based National closed its acquisition of CWB in February, while Wednesday it set out a three-year target of achieving between $200 million and $250 million in revenue synergies from the deal.

“Our acquisition of Canadian Western Bank in early 2025 marked a historic milestone for the bank,” said chief executive Laurent Ferreira on an earnings call Wednesday.

“Cost and funding synergies are being realized at an accelerated pace, and we expect to meet our target more than a year ahead of time.”

The bank has moved some 65,000 clients over to its platform and rebranded all branches, as well as moving some of its top capital markets team members to Western Canada to support growth in the region.

“With our increased national presence, the bank intends to grow and deploy capital to help fuel Canada’s economy,” said Ferreira.

National announced this week that it would be growing further in its home market with the acquisition of Laurentian Bank’s retail and small business segments, after the smaller bank said it was being split up and sold.

The combined portfolio National is buying includes about $12.3 billion in loans and deposits, which the bank is essentially getting at zero cost, besides the capital it needs to set aside to back the assets.

“It’s a natural fit given our strong presence in Quebec, enabling us to serve even more local customers and communities,” said Ferreira.

The boost comes as National’s existing operations led to adjusted profits of $2.82 per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of $2.58 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.

Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $2.62 per share, according to estimates compiled by LSEG Data & Analytics.

Like other banks, National benefited from higher-than-expected capital markets earnings.

Its capital markets arm earned $432 million, up from $306 million last year, while its wealth management business earned $258 million, up from $219 million.

The bank said its personal and commercial banking group earned $319 million in its latest quarter, down from $327 million a year ago, as it was hit by costs related to the acquisition of Canadian Western Bank.

Revenue for the quarter ended Oct. 31 totalled $3.70 billion, up from $2.94 billion a year earlier.

The bank’s provisions for credit losses amounted to $244 million, up from $162 million in the same quarter last year.

The bank said it will now pay a quarterly dividend of $1.24 per share, an increase of six cents.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.