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Natwest Group PLC

Foreign Filer Report Oct 29, 2021

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6-K 1 dp160546_6k.htm FORM 6-K Copyright (c) 2007, 2020, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Version 21.03.0013 finalfilenwgq36k

Report of Foreign Private Issuer

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

29 October 2021

Commission file number: 001-10306

Form 6-K

NatWest Group plc

Gogarburn

PO Box 1000

Edinburgh EH12 1HQ

Scotland

United Kingdom

(Address of principal executive offices)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F X Form 40-F

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):__

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):__

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes No X

If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to

the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-

This report on Form 6-K, except for any information contained on any websites linked or documents referred to in this report, shall be deemed incorporated by reference into the company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-251220) and to be a part thereof from the date on which this report is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.

Forward-looking statements

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

Certain sections in this document contain ‘forward-looking statements’ as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements that include the words ‘expect’, ‘estimate’, ‘project’, ‘anticipate’, ‘commit’, ‘believe’, ‘should’, ‘intend’, ‘will’, ‘plan’, ‘could’, ‘probability’, ‘risk’, ‘Value-at-Risk (VaR)’, ‘target’, ‘goal’, ‘objective’, ‘may’, ‘endeavour’, ‘outlook’, ‘optimistic’, ‘prospects’ and similar expressions or variations on these expressions. In particular, this document includes forward-looking statements relating, but not limited to: the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on NatWest Group; future profitability and performance, including financial performance targets (such as RoTE and ROE) and discretionary capital distribution targets; ESG and climate-related targets, including in relation to sustainable financing and financed emissions; planned cost savings; implementation of NatWest Group’s Purpose-led strategy, including in relation to the refocusing of its NWM franchise and the digitalisation of its operations and services; the timing and outcome of litigation and government and regulatory investigations; the implementation of the Alternative Remedies Package; balance sheet reduction, including the reduction of RWAs; capital, liquidity and leverage ratios and requirements, including CET1 Ratio, RWAes, Pillar 2 and other regulatory buffer requirements and MREL; funding plans and credit risk profile; capitalisation; portfolios; net interest margin; customer loan and income growth and product share; impairments and write-downs, including with respect to goodwill; restructuring and remediation costs and charges; NatWest Group’s exposure to political risk, economic risk, climate, environmental and sustainability risk, operational risk, conduct risk, cyber and IT risk and credit rating risk and to various types of market risk, including interest rate risk, foreign exchange rate risk and commodity and equity price risk; customer experience, including our Net Promotor Score (NPS); employee engagement and gender balance in leadership positions.

Limitations inherent to forward-looking statements

These statements are based on current plans, expectations, estimates, targets and projections, and are subject to significant inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors, both external and relating to NatWest Group’s strategy or operations, which may result in NatWest Group being unable to achieve the current plans, expectations, estimates, targets, projections and other anticipated outcomes expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, certain of these disclosures are dependent on choices relying on key model characteristics and assumptions and are subject to various limitations, including assumptions and estimates made by management. By their nature, certain of these disclosures are only estimates and, as a result, actual future results, gains or losses could differ materially from those that have been estimated. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date we make them and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto, any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.

Important factors that could affect the actual outcome of the forward-looking statements

We caution you that a large number of important factors could adversely affect our results or our ability to implement our strategy, cause us to fail to meet our targets, predictions, expectations and other anticipated outcomes or affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements described in this document. These factors include, but are not limited to, those set forth in the risk factors and the other uncertainties described in NatWest Group plc’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and its other filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The principal risks and uncertainties that could adversely NatWest Group’s future results, its financial condition and prospects and cause them to be materially different from what is forecast or expected, include, but are not limited to: risks relating to the COVID-19 pandemic (including in respect of: the effects on the global economy and financial markets, and NatWest Group’s customers; increased counterparty risk; NatWest Group’s ability to meet its targets and strategic objectives; increased operational and control risks; increased funding risk; future impairments and write-downs); economic and political risk (including in respect of: uncertainty regarding the effects of Brexit; increased political and economic risks and uncertainty in the UK and global markets; changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates; and HM Treasury’s ownership of NatWest Group plc); strategic risk (including in respect of the implementation of NatWest Group’s Purpose-led Strategy, including the re-focusing of the NWM franchise, the phased withdrawal from the Republic of Ireland and NatWest Group’s ability to achieve its targets); financial resilience risk (including in respect of: NatWest Group’s ability to meet targets and to resume discretionary capital distributions; the competitive environment; counterparty risk; prudential regulatory requirements for capital and MREL; funding risk; changes in the credit ratings; the adequacy of NatWest Group’s resolution plans; the requirements of regulatory stress tests; model risk; sensitivity to accounting policies, judgments, assumptions and estimates; changes in applicable accounting standards; the value or effectiveness of credit protection; and the application of UK statutory stabilisation or resolution powers); climate and sustainability risk (including in respect of: risks relating to climate change and the transitioning to a low carbon economy; the implementation of NatWest Group’s climate change strategy and climate change resilient systems, controls and procedures; increased model risk; the failure to adapt to emerging climate, environmental and sustainability risks and opportunities; changes in ESG ratings; increasing levels of climate, environmental and sustainability related regulation and oversight; and climate, environmental and sustainability related litigation, enforcement proceedings and investigations); operational and IT resilience risk (including in respect of: operational risks (including reliance on third party suppliers); cyberattacks; the accuracy and effective use of data; complex IT systems (including those that enable remote working); attracting, retaining and developing senior management and skilled personnel; NatWest Group’s risk management framework; and reputational risk); and legal, regulatory and conduct risk (including in respect of: the impact of substantial regulation and oversight; compliance with regulatory requirements; the outcome of legal, regulatory and governmental actions and investigations; the replacement of LIBOR, EURIBOR and other IBOR rates; heightened regulatory and governmental scrutiny (including by competition authorities); implementation of the Alternative Remedies Package; and changes in tax legislation or failure to generate future taxable profits).

Caution about climate and sustainable funding and financing (CSFF) information.

CSSF activities and their classification and reporting are still not subject to a single recognised or accepted, consistent and comparable set of definitions or standards in the UK or globally. The CSSF information we report may not meet investor expectations or requirements for describing or classifying CSSF activities as "green" or "sustainable" or having similar classifications (including alignment with existing or proposed standards, such as the EU Taxonomy, EU SFDR and EU GBS). Preparation our CSSF information including reporting on CSFF activities against the £100 billion CSFF target referenced in the slides requires the application of a number of key judgements, assumptions and estimates that may subsequently prove to be incorrect. In addition, the maturity of underlying data, systems and controls that support such reporting is generally considerably less sophisticated than the systems and internal controls for financial reporting and it also includes manual processes.

The information, statements and opinions contained in this document do not constitute a public offer under any applicable legislation or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or financial instruments or any advice or recommendation with respect to such securities or other financial instruments.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 1

Introduction

Presentation of information

‘Parent company’ refers to NatWest Group plc and ‘NatWest Group’ refers to NatWest Group plc and its subsidiary and associated undertakings. The term ‘NWH Group’ refers to NatWest Holdings Limited (‘NWH’) and its subsidiary and associated undertakings. The term ‘NWM Group’ refers to NatWest Markets Plc (‘NWM Plc’) and its subsidiary and associated undertakings. The term ‘NWM N.V.’ refers to NatWest Markets N.V. The term ‘NWMSI’ refers to NatWest Markets Securities, Inc. The term ‘RBS plc’ refers to The Royal Bank of Scotland plc. The term ‘NWB Plc’ refers to National Westminster Bank Plc. The term ‘UBIDAC’ refers to Ulster Bank Ireland DAC. The term ‘RBSI Holdings’ refers to The Royal Bank of Scotland International (Holdings) Limited.

NatWest Group publishes its financial statements in pounds sterling (‘£’ or ‘sterling’). The abbreviations ‘£m’ and ‘£bn’ represent millions and thousands of millions of pounds sterling, respectively, and references to ‘pence’ represent pence in the United Kingdom (‘UK’). References to ‘dollars’ or ‘$’ are to United States of America (‘US’) dollars. The abbreviations ‘$m’ and ‘$bn’ represent millions and thousands of millions of dollars, respectively, and references to ‘cents’ represent cents in the US. The abbreviation ‘€’ represents the ‘euro’, and the abbreviations ‘€m’ and ‘€bn’ represent millions and thousands of millions of euros, respectively, and references to ‘cents’ represent cents in the European Union (‘EU’).

To aid readability, this document retains references to EU legislative and regulatory provisions in effect in the UK before 1 January 2021 that have now been implemented in UK domestic law. These references should be read and construed as including references to the applicable UK implementation measures with effect from 1 January 2021

Non-IFRS financial information

NatWest Group prepares its financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). This document contains a number of adjusted or alternative performance measures, also known as non-GAAP or non-IFRS performance measures. These measures are adjusted for notable and other defined items which management believe are not representative of the underlying performance of the business and which distort period-on-period comparison. The non-IFRS measures provide users of the financial statements with a consistent basis for comparing business performance between financial periods and information on elements of performance that are one-off in nature. The non-IFRS measures also include the calculation of metrics that are used throughout the banking industry. These non-IFRS measures are not measures within the scope of IFRS and are not a substitute for IFRS measures. For details of the basis of preparation and reconciliations where appropriate refer to the Appendix in this announcement. These measures include:

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 2

Non-IFRS financial measures

Measure Basis of preparation Additional analysis or reconciliation
NatWest Group return on tangible equity Annualised profit or loss for the period attributable to
ordinary shareholders divided by average tangible equity. Average tangible
equity is average total equity excluding non-controlling interests (NCI) less
average intangible assets and average other owners’ equity. Table 1
Segmental return on equity Segmental operating profit or loss adjusted for
preference share dividends and tax divided by average notional tangible
equity, allocated at an operating segment specific rate, of the period
average segmental risk-weighted assets incorporating the effect of capital
deductions (RWAes). Table 2
Operating expenses analysis – management view The management analysis of operating expenses shows
strategic costs and litigation and conduct costs in separate lines.
Depreciation and amortisation, and other administrative expenses attributable
to these costs are included in strategic costs and litigation and conduct
costs lines for management analysis. These amounts are included in staff,
premises and equipment and other administrative expenses in the statutory
analysis. Table 3
Cost:income ratio Total
operating expenses less operating lease depreciation divided by total income
less operating lease depreciation. Table 4
Net interest margin (NIM) Net interest income as a
percentage of average interest-earning assets. Table
5
Bank NIM Net interest income of
the banking business less NatWest Markets (NWM) element as a percentage of
interest-earning assets of the banking business less NWM element. Table 5
Bank NIM excluding Liquid Asset Buffer Net interest income of
the banking business less NWM element as a percentage of interest-earning
assets of the banking business less NWM element and Liquid Asset Buffer. Table 5
Income across UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses excluding
notable items Comprises income in the Retail Banking,
Commercial Banking, Private Banking and RBS International operating segments,
excluding notable items. Table 7
Net lending in the UK and RBSI retail and commercial
businesses excluding UK Government support schemes Comprises customer loans in the Retail Banking,
Commercial Banking, Private Banking and RBS International operating segments,
excluding UK Government support schemes. Table 8
Customer deposits across UK and RBSI retail and commercial
businesses Comprises customer deposits in the Retail
Banking, Commercial Banking, Private Banking and RBS International operating
segments. Table 9
Other expenses excluding operating lease depreciation (OLD)
and Ulster Bank RoI direct costs. Total
operating expenses less strategic, litigation and conduct costs, operating
lease depreciation and Ulster Bank RoI direct costs. Table
10
Commentary – adjusted periodically for specific items NatWest Group and segmental business performance
commentary have been adjusted for the impact of specific items such as
notable items, operating lease depreciation, strategic costs and litigation
and conduct costs. Notable
items - page 8 , Operating lease
depreciation, Strategic
costs and litigation and conduct costs - pages 16 to 20.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 3

Non–IFRS financial measures

Performance metrics based on but not defined under IFRS

Measure Basis of preparation Additional analysis or reconciliation
Loan:deposit ratio Net
customer loans held at amortised cost divided by total customer deposits. Table 6
Tangible net asset value (TNAV) Tangible
equity divided by the number of ordinary shares in issue (excluding own
shares held). Tangible equity is ordinary shareholders’ equity less
intangible assets. Page 7
Funded assets Total
assets less derivatives. Pages 7, 14 and
16 to 20
Loan impairment rate The
annualised loan impairment charge divided by gross customer loans. Pages 7 , 10 to 13, and 15 to 20
Third party customer asset rate Third
party customer asset rate is calculated as annualised interest payable or
receivable on third-party loans to customers as a percentage of third-party
loans to customers, including those reported as assets held for sale. This
excludes intragroup items, loans to banks and liquid asset portfolios, which
are included for the calculation of net interest margin. Pages 16 to 20
Third party customer funding rate Third
party customer funding rate is calculated as annualised interest payable or receivable
on third-party customer deposits as a percentage of third-party customer
deposits, including interest bearing and non-interest bearing customer
deposits. Intragroup items, bank deposits, debt securities in issue and
subordinated liabilities are excluded for customer funding rate calculation. Pages 16 to 20
Assets under management and administration (AUMA) AUMA
comprises both assets under management (AUMs) and assets under administration
(AUAs) serviced through the Private Banking franchise. AUMs
comprise assets where the investment management is undertaken by Private
Banking on behalf of Private Banking, Retail Banking and RBSI customers. AUAs
comprise third party assets held on an execution-only basis in custody by
Private Banking, Retail Banking and RBSI for their customers accordingly, for
which the execution services are supported by Private Banking. Private
Banking receive a fee in respect of providing investment management and
execution services to Retail Banking and RBSI franchises. Pages 7 and 11
Depositary assets Assets
held by RBSI as an independent trustee and in a depositary service capacity. Page 13

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 4

NatWest Group plc

Q3 2021 Interim Management Statement

Alison Rose, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“Throughout Q3 2021, NatWest continued to deliver a strong operating performance; growing in key areas and accelerating our digital transformation to improve customer experience and make our business more efficient. Our robust capital position means that we have been able to buy back £402 million of our shares to date (1) whilst also investing for growth as we support our customers and drive sustainable returns to our shareholders.

Although we are seeing challenges in the economy and for our customers – especially around supply chains and the cost of living – a number of key indicators remain positive; growth is good, unemployment is low and there are limited signs of default across our book. We have a vital role to play in helping the 19 million people, families and businesses we serve in communities throughout the UK to thrive. Because when they thrive, so do we.

NatWest Group has made addressing the climate challenge and supporting our customers through the transition a key strategic priority. We recently announced a new target to deliver an additional £100 billion of Climate and Sustainable Funding and Financing between 1 July 2021 and the end of 2025, having exceeded our initial two-year target of £20 billion in less than 18 months.”

Financial performance in a challenging environment

Q3 2021 operating profit before tax of £1,074 million, attributable profit of £674 million and a return on tangible equity (RoTE) of 8.5%.
Total income of £2,774 increased by £351 million, or 14.5%, compared with Q3 2020. Income across the UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses, excluding notable items, increased by £103 million, or 4.4%, compared with Q3 2020 principally reflecting balance sheet growth. NatWest Markets (NWM) total income of £95 million decreased by £139 million, or 59.4%, compared with Q3 2020. NWM income, excluding asset disposals/strategic risk reduction and OCA, decreased by £175 million, or 62.5%, compared with Q3 2020 reflecting continued weakness in Fixed Income which was impacted by subdued levels of customer activity and ongoing reshaping of the business.
Net interest margin of 1.44% decreased by 7 basis points compared with Q2 2021. Bank net interest margin (NIM) excluding Liquid Asset Buffer (LAB) decreased by 6 basis points to 2.34% compared with Q2 2021 principally reflecting the Q2 2021 tax variable lease repricing in Commercial Banking. Bank NIM of 1.54% decreased by 7 basis points.
Operating expenses of £1,942 million increased by £128 million, or 7.1%, compared with Q3 2020. Other expenses, excluding operating lease depreciation (OLD) and Ulster Bank RoI direct costs, were £198 million, or 4.3% lower for the year to date.
A net impairment release of £242 million in Q3 2021 mainly reflects releases in non-default portfolios, principally in Commercial Banking.
Robust balance sheet with strong capital and liquidity levels
CET1 ratio of 18.7% was 50 basis points higher than Q2 2021 largely reflecting the attributable profit and reduction in RWAs partially offset by the foreseeable dividend accrual.
The liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) of 166%, representing £78.6 billion headroom above 100% minimum requirement, increased by 2 percentage points compared with Q2 2021, reflecting continued growth in customer deposits.
Net lending decreased by £1.7 billion to £361.0 billion during Q3 2021. Across the UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses, net lending excluding UK Government support schemes increased by £2.9 billion, including £2.5 billion related to mortgage growth, with year to date annualised growth of 3.1%.
Customer deposits increased by £9.1 billion compared with Q2 2021 to £476.3 billion. Across the UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses customer deposits increased by £8.5 billion, or 2.0%, largely due to customers continuing to build and retain liquidity and higher short term placements in RBS International (RBSI).
RWAs decreased by £3.2 billion to £159.8 billion during Q3 2021 mainly reflecting business movements in Commercial Banking and unwinding of the Q2 2021 increase in NWM following regulatory approval to update the VaR model to remove the impact of GBP LIBOR cessation.
Outlook (2)
We retain the outlook guidance provided in the 2021
Interim Results filed on Form 6-K on 30 July 2021, except:
We no longer expect to achieve the majority of the remaining RWA reduction towards the medium term target in NWM of £20 billion this year; and
We now expect Group RWAs to be below our previously guided range of £185-195 billion on 1 January 2022.
(1) At 27 October 2021.
(2) The guidance, targets, expectations and trends discussed in
this section represent NatWest Group plc management’s current expectations
and are subject to change, including as a result of the factors described in
the NatWest Group plc Risk Factors section on pages 347 to 366 of the 2020
Annual Report on Form 20-F, pages 116 and 117 of the NatWest Group plc 2021
Interim Results filed on Form 6-K on 30 July 2021. These statements
constitute forward-looking statements. Refer to Forward-looking statements in
this announcement.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 5

Our Purpose in action

We champion potential, helping people, families and businesses to thrive. If they succeed, so will we. By being relevant to our customers and communities and by supporting our colleagues, we will deliver long-term value and drive sustainable returns to our shareholders. Some key achievements for the nine months ended 30 September 2021 are :

People and families

Supported customers with five million financial capability interactions including 750,000 financial health checks.
Retail Banking personalised messaging to customers has grown from 72 million messages in the first nine months of 2020 to 318 million in the same period of 2021. The personalisation of messages has resulted in a 41% increase in customer engagement.
As part of our strategy to help families and young people manage their money more effectively, we acquired the fintech business RoosterMoney, whose pocket money app aims to build money confidence and financial capability from an early age.
Launched Housemate, an app designed to help young renters manage shared bills and help build a history with the bank’s data partner Experian.
Businesses
Announced a target to provide an additional £100 billion Climate
and Sustainable Funding and Financing (CSFF) (1) to customers
between the 1 July 2021 and the end of 2025 as well as plans to launch a new
green loan product for Small to Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) customers.
Relaunched our entrepreneurship proposition and refocused 11 of our 12 Entrepreneur Accelerator hubs to support high growth, female led, black and minority ethnic led and B Corp focused businesses.
Coutts collaborated with the Business Growth Fund to provide additional funding and growth capital, and to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Colleagues

| ● | Recognised as a top ten UK employer by the work-life balance
charity Working Families. |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Introduced a framework for NatWest Group’s new hybrid working
model, balancing the needs of our customers, communities and colleagues. |
| ● | Named by LinkedIn as one of the top 25 workplaces in the UK to
grow a career and recognised in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women for the
11th year running. |
| Communities | |
| ● | Retail Banking completed Green Mortgages with a value of £565
million during the nine months ended 30 September 2021. |
| ● | Teamed up with the manufacturer of one of Britain's best-known
childhood games, Top Trumps, to launch a new MoneySense Climate Savers
competition for primary school pupils across the UK as part of our principal
sponsorship of the UN Climate Change conference COP26. |
| ● | Launched a ‘Sustainable Homes and Buildings’ Coalition’ with
British Gas, Worcester Bosch, and Shelter to improve UK buildings energy
efficiency. The Coalition aims to address the key blockers to meeting net
zero in the UK buildings environment. |
| ● | Issued a €1 billion affordable housing social bond, the first of
its kind by a UK bank. The proceeds will support lending to not-for-profit,
UK housing associations as part of our commitment to provide £3 billion of
funding to the UK’s affordable housing sector by the end of 2022. |
| ● | Coutts became the first major UK Private Bank and Wealth Manager
to be certified as a B Corp, demonstrating its commitment to meeting the
highest standards of verifiable social and environmental performance, public
transparency and legal accountability. |

For further detail refer to the Climate, Purpose and ESG measures supplement Q3 2021 (2) .

| (1) | The guidance, targets, expectations and trends discussed in
this section represent NatWest Group plc management’s current expectations
and are subject to change, including as a result of the factors described in
the NatWest Group plc Risk Factors section on pages 347 to 366 of the 2020
Annual Report on Form 20-F and pages 116 and 117 of the NatWest Group plc
2021 Interim Results filed on Form 6-K on 30 July 2021. ,These statements
constitute forward-looking statements. Refer to Forward-looking statements in
this announcement. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Any information contained in reports referenced in the Q3
Results on Form 6-K is for information only and will not be deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 6

Business performance summary

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
Total income £8,093m £8,261m £2,774m £2,660m £2,423m
Operating expenses (£5,463m) (£5,564m) (£1,942m) (£1,706m) (£1,814m)
Profit before impairment releases/(losses) £2,630m £2,697m £832m £954m £609m
Operating profit/(loss) before tax £3,579m (£415m) £1,074m £1,559m £355m
Profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders £2,516m (£644m) £674m £1,222m £61m
Excluding notable items within total income (1)
Total income excluding notable items £7,910m £8,564m £2,621m £2,621m £2,720m
Operating expenses (£5,463m) (£5,564m) (£1,942m) (£1,706m) (£1,814m)
Profit before impairment releases/(losses) and
excluding notable items £2,447m £3,000m £679m £915m £906m
Operating profit/(loss) before tax and excluding notable items £3,396m (£112m) £921m £1,520m £652m
UK and RBSI retail and commercial income excluding £7,110m £7,167m £2,423m £2,368m £2,320m
notable items (2)
Performance key metrics and ratios
Bank net interest margin (2,3) 1.59% 1.73% 1.54% 1.61% 1.65%
Bank net interest margin excluding liquid asset
buffer (2) 2.38% 2.45% 2.34% 2.40% 2.39%
Bank average interest earning assets (2,3) £493bn £449bn £505bn £494bn £469bn
Bank average interest earning assets excluding
liquid asset buffer (2) £330bn £318bn £331bn £330bn £324bn
Cost:income ratio (2) 67.1% 66.9% 69.6% 63.7% 74.5%
Loan impairment rate (2) (35bps) 115bps (26bps) (66bps) 28bps
Earnings per share - basic 21.5p (5.3p) 5.8p 10.6p 0.5p
Return on tangible equity (2) 10.7% (2.7%) 8.5% 15.6% 0.8%
30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
Balance sheet
Total assets £778.3bn £775.9bn £799.5bn
Funded assets (2) £674.5bn £666.3bn £633.0bn
Loans to customers - amortised cost £361.0bn £362.7bn £360.5bn
Loans to customers and banks - amortised cost and FVOCI £374.0bn £375.6bn £372.4bn
UK and RBSI retail and commercial net lending excluding UK
Government
support schemes (2) £304.9bn £302.0bn £297.9bn
Impairment provisions - amortised cost £4.3bn £4.7bn £6.0bn
Total impairment provisions £4.4bn £4.9bn £6.2bn
Expected credit loss (ECL) coverage ratio 1.19% 1.31% 1.66%
Assets under management and administration
(AUMA) (2) £35.7bn £34.7bn £32.1bn
Customer deposits £476.3bn £467.2bn £431.7bn
UK and RBSI retail and commercial customer
deposits (2) £437.2bn £428.7bn £403.2bn
Liquidity and funding
Liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) 166% 164% 165%
Liquidity portfolio £278bn £277bn £262bn
Net stable funding ratio (NSFR) (4) 155% 154% 151%
Loan:deposit ratio (2) 76% 78% 84%
Total wholesale funding £67bn £66bn £71bn
Short-term wholesale funding £22bn £23bn £19bn
Capital and leverage
Common Equity Tier (CET1) ratio (5) 18.7% 18.2% 18.5%
Total capital ratio 24.6% 24.9% 24.5%
Pro forma CET1 ratio, pre dividend accrual (6) 19.5% 19.1% 18.8%
Risk-weighted assets (RWAs) £159.8bn £163.0bn £170.3bn
UK leverage ratio (7) 5.9% 6.2% 6.4%
Tangible net asset value (TNAV) per ordinary share 269p 266p 261p
Number of ordinary shares in issue (millions) (8) 11,436 11,569 12,129

| (1) | Refer to page 8 for details of notable items
within total income. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Refer to Non-IFRS
financial measures Appendix for details of basis of preparation and
reconciliation of non-IFRS financial measures and performance metrics. |
| (3) | NatWest Group
excluding NWM. |
| (4) | NSFR reported in line with CRR2 regulations finalised
in June 2019. |
| (5) | Based on CRR end-point including the IFRS 9
transitional adjustment of £1.0 billion (30 June 2021 - £1.2 billion; 31
December 2020 - £1.7 billion). Excluding this adjustment, the CET1 ratio
would be 18.1% (30 June 2021 - 17.5%; 31 December 2020 - 17.5%). |
| (6) | The pro forma CET1 ratio at 30
September 2021 excludes foreseeable items of £1.2 billion, £402 million for
ordinary dividends and £816 million foreseeable charges and pension
contributions (30 June 2021 excludes foreseeable items of £1.4 billion, £500
million for ordinary dividends and £924 million foreseeable charges and
pension contributions; 31 December 2020 excludes foreseeable charges of £364
million for ordinary dividend (3p per share) and £266 million pension
contribution). |
| (7) | Based on UK end-point including the IFRS 9
transitional adjustment of £1.0 billion (30 June 2021 - £1.2 billion; 31
December 2020 - £1.7 billion). Excluding this adjustment the UK leverage
ratio would be 5.8% (30 June 2021 - 6.0%; 31 December 2020 - 6.1%). |
| (8) | In March 2021, there was an agreement with HM
Treasury to buy 591 million ordinary shares in the Company from UK Government
Investments Ltd (UKGI). NatWest Group cancelled 391 million of the purchased
ordinary shares and held the remaining 200 million in own shares held. The
number of ordinary shares in issue excludes own shares held which comprises
the remainder of the shares purchased and shares held by the NatWest Group
2001 Employee Share Trust. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 7

Summary consolidated income statement for the period ended 30 September 2021

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m £m £m
Net interest income 5,870 5,778 1,954 1,985 1,926
Own credit adjustments 2 19 2 (2) (34)
Other non-interest income 2,221 2,464 818 677 531
Non-interest income 2,223 2,483 820 675 497
Total income 8,093 8,261 2,774 2,660 2,423
Litigation and conduct costs (276) 81 (294) 34 (8)
Strategic costs (409) (687) (77) (172) (223)
Other expenses (4,778) (4,958) (1,571) (1,568) (1,583)
Operating expenses (5,463) (5,564) (1,942) (1,706) (1,814)
Profit before impairment releases/(losses) 2,630 2,697 832 954 609
Impairment releases/(losses) 949 (3,112) 242 605 (254)
Operating profit/(loss) before tax 3,579 (415) 1,074 1,559 355
Tax (charge)/credit (765) 1 (330) (202) (207)
Profit/(loss) for the period 2,814 (414) 744 1,357 148
Attributable to:
Ordinary shareholders 2,516 (644) 674 1,222 61
Preference shareholders 14 21 5 4 5
Paid-in equity holders 241 272 63 91 80
Non-controlling interests 43 (63) 2 40 2
Notable items within total income (1) — Own credit adjustments (OCA) 2 19 2 (2) (34)
FX recycling (loss)/gain in Central items & other - (39) - - 64
Liquidity Asset Bond sale gain 70 111 45 20 1
IFRS volatility in Central items & other (2) 44 38 - 45 49
Loss on redemption of own debt (138) (324) - (20) (324)
Retail Banking debt sale gain - 7 - - 4
Commercial Banking fair value and disposal (loss)/gain (18) (10) 4 (8) 1
Commercial Banking tax variable lease repricing 32 - - 32 -
NatWest Markets asset disposals/strategic risk
reduction (3) (52) (75) (12) (36) (12)
Share of associate profits/(losses) for Business
Growth Fund 208 (30) 79 8 (46)
Ulster Bank RoI gain arising from the restructuring of
structural hedges 35 - 35 - -
Total 183 (303) 153 39 (297)
(1) Refer to page 1 of the Non-IFRS financial measures Appendix
(2) IFRS volatility relates to derivatives used for
risk management not in IFRS hedge accounting relationships and IFRS
hedge ineffectiveness.
(3) Asset disposals/strategic risk reduction relates to
the cost of exiting positions, which includes changes in carrying value to
align to the expected exit valuation, and the impact of risk reduction
transactions entered into, in respect of the strategic announcement on 14
February 2020.

Non-IFRS financial measures

This document contains a number of non-IFRS financial measures and performance metrics not defined under IFRS. For details of the basis of preparation and reconciliations, where applicable, refer to the Appendix.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 8

Business performance summary

Chief Financial Officer review

| We have delivered a strong
operating performance in the third quarter. We have grown lending across our
retail and commercial franchises and have continued to deliver against our
CSFF commitments. Good progress has been made against our cost reduction
commitments and we continue to work towards optimising our capital base.
During the quarter default levels remained low across our portfolio and we have
reported another impairment release as a result. |
| --- |
| Financial
performance Total income increased by
14.5% to £2,774 million compared with Q3 2020. Excluding notable items,
income was £99 million, or 3.6%, lower than Q3 2020 principally in NWM, reflecting
continued weakness in Fixed Income which was impacted by subdued levels of
customer activity and ongoing reshaping of the business. The Currencies and
Capital Markets businesses performed in line with expectations. Across the UK
and RBSI retail and commercial businesses income increased by 4.4% reflecting
strong balance sheet growth, principally in our mortgage book. Excluding
notable items income was in line with the second quarter. Net interest margin
of 1.44% was 7 basis points lower than Q2 2021. Bank NIM, excluding the LAB,
of 2.34% was 6 basis points lower than Q2 2021 reflecting the one-off tax
variable lease repricing adjustment in Q2 2021 and a £14 million AT1
reclassification in Q3 2021. Bank NIM of 1.54% was 7 basis points lower
reflecting the one-off items and increased levels of liquidity. |
| Total
operating expenses of £5,463 decreased by £101 million, or 1.8%, for the year
to date. Excluding strategic, litigation and conduct costs, OLD and Ulster
Bank RoI direct costs, we have delivered a cost reduction of £198 million, or
4.3%, for the year to date. This has been achieved by transformation across
our Customer Journeys and NWM business, in line with the strategic
announcement made in February 2020, and we remain committed to our 4% full
year cost reduction target. Strategic costs of £77 million in the quarter
included £50 million in NWM, £18 million of technology spend and £13 million
of redundancy charges. Litigation and conduct costs were £294 million which
included provisions for an anticipated fine in respect of NWB Plc’s breaches
of the UK Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and other matters. |
| A net impairment release of £242
million reflects the continued low levels of realised losses we have seen to
date. Total impairment provisions reduced by £0.5 billion to £4.4 billion in
the quarter and as a result ECL coverage ratio decreased from 1.31% to 1.19%.
Whilst we are comfortable with the strong credit performance of our book, we
continue to hold economic uncertainty post model adjustments (PMA) of £0.7
billion, or 16.4% of total impairment provisions. We will continue to assess
this position as we see the impact within the economy of the UK Government
support measures winding down and we emerge from the pandemic. |
| As a result, we are pleased
to report a Q3 2021 attributable profit of £674 million, with earnings per
share of 5.8 pence and a RoTE of 8.5%. |
| We continued to support our
customers whilst taking a measured approach to risk. Total Group net lending
reduced by £1.7 billion, which included a £3.5 billion reduction in Ulster
Bank RoI as loans agreed to be sold to Allied Irish Banks p.l.c. as part of our
phased withdrawal from the Republic of Ireland were reclassified as assets
held for sale. Across the UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses, net
lending excluding UK Government support schemes increased by £2.9 billion in
the quarter, including £2.5 billion of mortgage growth, and annualised growth
for the year to date was 3.1%. During
H1 2021 we exceeded our 2020-21 target of providing an additional £20 billion
CSFF, bringing our delivery against this target to £21.5 billion. During Q3
2021 we completed £2.0 billion CSFF which will contribute towards the new
£100 billion target (1) . |
| Customer deposits increased
by £9.1 billion, or 1.9%, in the quarter as customers continued to build and
retain liquidity. TNAV per share increased by
3 pence in the quarter to 269 pence largely reflecting the attributable
profit partially offset by the impact of the share buy-back programme. |
| Capital and
leverage |
| The CET1 ratio remains
robust at 18.7%, or 18.1% excluding IFRS 9 transitional relief, and increased
by 50 basis points in the quarter reflecting the attributable profit and
reduction in RWAs partially offset by a foreseeable dividend accrual, a
dividend linked pension accrual and reduction in IFRS 9 transitional relief.
The total capital ratio decreased by 30 basis points in the quarter to 24.6% |
| RWAs decreased by £3.2
billion to £159.8 billion during Q3 2021 mainly reflecting business movements
in Commercial Banking and unwinding of the Q2 2021 increase in NWM following
regulatory approval to update the VaR model to remove the impact of GBP LIBOR
cessation. |
| Funding and
liquidity |
| The LCR increased by 2
percentage points to 166%, representing £78.6 billion headroom above 100%
minimum requirement, primarily reflecting continued growth in customer
deposits. Total wholesale funding increased by £1 billion in the quarter to
£66 billion. |

(1) The guidance, targets, expectations and trends discussed in this section represent NatWest Group plc management’s current expectations and are subject to change, including as a result of the factors described in the NatWest Group plc Risk Factors section on pages 347 to 366 of the 2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F and pages 116 and 117 of the NatWest Group plc 2021 Interim Results filed on Form 6-K on 30 July 2021. ,These statements constitute forward-looking statements. Refer to Forward-looking statements in this announcement.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 9

Business performance summary

Retail Banking

Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Total income 1,131 1,094 1,022
Operating expenses (552) (600) (647)
of which: Other expenses (543) (545) (560)
Impairment (losses)/releases (16) 91 (70)
Operating profit 563 585 305
Return on equity 29.9% 32.0% 15.3%
Net interest margin 2.09% 2.08% 2.05%
Cost:income ratio 48.8% 54.8% 63.3%
Loan impairment rate 4bps (20)bps 17bps
As at — 30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Net loans to customers - amortised cost 180.5 178.1 172.3
Customer deposits 186.3 184.1 171.8
RWAs 36.6 35.6 36.7

| During Q3 2021, Retail Banking continued to pursue
sustainable growth with an intelligent approach to risk, delivering an operating
profit of £563 million. Lending growth was supported by a strong performance
in mortgages and a return to unsecured lending growth with improved customer
spending and demand for new lending as the UK economy continued to recover.
Retail Banking completed £0.5 billion of CSFF in Q3 2021 which will
contribute towards the new NatWest Group target of £100 billion between 1
July 2021 and the end of 2025. Retail Banking also made good progress in
buy-to-let, with application volumes in Q3 2021 more than double Q2 2021
reflecting the alignment of lending criteria with the rest of the market, the
introduction of a simplified policy and customer journey improvements. | |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Total income was £109 million, or 10.7%, higher than Q3
2020 primarily due to strong mortgage balance growth and improved asset
margins, partially offset by lower deposit returns and lower unsecured
balances. Total income was £37 million, or 3.4%,
higher than Q2 2021 reflecting balance growth and higher
transactional-related fee income, partially offset by the non-repeat of Q2
2021 one-off items totalling £12 million. |
| ● | Net interest margin was 1 basis point higher than Q2 2021
largely reflecting higher margin unsecured balance growth. Mortgage
completion margins of 143 basis points were lower than the back book margin
of 164 basis points, with application margins of 115 basis points in the
quarter decreasing to 105 basis points in the latter part of Q3 2021,
reflecting rising swap rates and continued strong competition in the market. |
| ● | Operating expenses of £552 million were £95 million, or
14.7%, lower than Q3 2020. Other expenses were £17 million, or 3.0%, lower
than Q3 2020 primarily reflecting a 9.6% reduction in headcount as a result
of continued digitalisation, automation and improvement of end-to-end
customer journeys. Customer behaviour continues to shift towards digital with
89% of retail customer needs met digitally, up from 77% in Q3 2020, and
mobile payments increased 13% compared with Q3 2020. Additionally, 7.0
million current account customers are now exclusively using digital channels
to interact with us, up from 6.7 million in Q3 2020. |
| ● | A net impairment charge of £16 million in Q3 2021
primarily reflects Stage 3 defaults, which remain at low levels, partially
offset by ECL releases resulting from continued stable portfolio performance
underpinned by government support schemes. |
| ● | Net loans to customers increased by £2.4 billion, or 1.3%,
compared with Q2 2021 reflecting continued mortgage growth of £2.2 billion,
with gross new mortgage lending of £8.3 billion representing flow share of
approximately 11%. Personal advances and cards both increased by £0.1 billion
as customer demand and spend levels increased. |
| ● | Customer deposits increased
£2.2 billion, or 1.2%, compared with Q2 2021 reflecting slower growth than
previous periods as customer spending increased following the easing of UK
Government restrictions. |
| ● | RWAs increased by £1.0
billion, or 2.8%, compared with Q2 2021 largely reflecting lending growth
across all products and predictive loss model recalibrations. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 10

Business performance summary

Private Banking

Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Total income 195 183 187
Operating expenses (116) (128) (112)
o f which: Other expenses (117) (120) (106)
Impairment releases/(losses) 15 27 (18)
Operating profit 94 82 57
Return on equity 18.1% 15.9% 11.2%
Net interest margin 1.76% 1.75% 1.99%
Cost:income ratio 59.5% 69.9% 59.9%
Loan impairment rate (32)bps (60)bps 43bps
As at — 30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Net loans to customers - amortised cost 18.4 18.0 17.0
Customer deposits 35.7 34.7 32.4
RWAs 11.4 11.2 10.9
Assets under management (AUMs) (1) 30.5 29.6 27.0
Assets under administration (AUAs) (1) 5.2 5.1 5.1
Total assets under management and administration
(AUMA) (1) 35.7 34.7 32.1

(1) The definition of AUMs/AUAs has been updated to provide clarity on assets where the investment management is undertaken by Private Banking. AUMs now comprise assets where the investment management is undertaken by Private Banking irrespective of the franchise the customer belongs to. AUAs now comprises third party assets held on an execution-only basis in custody. Total AUMA remain as before.

| Private Banking
return on equity of 18.1% and operating profit of £94 million in Q3 2021 was
supported by a strong operating performance and continued balance growth.
During the first nine months of the year approximately 1,300 new customers
were onboarded into Private Banking, an increase of around 10% compared to
the same period last year. | |
| --- | --- |
| NatWest Group completed the sale of Adam & Company’s £1.8
billion investment management business to Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
on 1 October 2021 for a total consideration of £54 million, which included
the Adam & Company brand and the FCA regulated Adam & Company Investment
Management Ltd legal entity which had net assets of £2 million. The final net
gain on sale will be recorded as a notable item in the Q4 2021 results. | |
| ● | Total income was £8 million, or
4.3%, higher than Q3 2020 as strong balance growth was partially offset by
lower deposit returns. Total income was £12 million, or 6.6%, higher than Q2
2021 reflecting continued balance growth. Net interest margin was broadly in
line with Q2 2021. |
| ● | Operating expenses of £116
million were £4 million, or 3.6%, higher than Q3 2020. Other expenses were
£11 million, or 10.4%, higher than Q3 2020 principally due to investment in
digital infrastructure and an increase in headcount related to the
enhancement of AUMA growth propositions. |
| ● | A net impairment release of £15
million in Q3 2021 mainly reflects ECL releases in non-default portfolios. |
| ● | Net
loans to customers increased by £0.4 billion, or 2.2%, compared with Q2 2021
due to continued strong mortgage lending growth, whilst RWAs increased by
£0.2 billion, or 1.8%. |
| ● | AUMAs
increased by £1.0 billion, or 2.9%, compared with Q2 2021 reflecting positive
investment performance of £0.3 billion and AUM net new money inflows of £0.7
billion. AUM net new money inflows of £2.1 billion in the nine months ended
30 September 2021 included £0.6 billion of digital investing net inflows into
NatWest Invest, Royal Bank Invest and Coutts Invest, compared to £0.2 billion
during the same period of 2020. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 11

Business performance summary

Commercial Banking

Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Total income 965 982 1,004
Operating expenses (556) (569) (553)
of which: Other expenses (excluding OLD) (484) (470) (490)
Impairment releases/(losses) 216 451 (127)
Operating profit 625 864 324
Return on equity 21.7% 29.3% 9.2%
Net interest margin 1.49% 1.60% 1.65%
Cost:income ratio 56.0% 56.4% 53.4%
Loan impairment rate (83)bps (170)bps 45bps
As at — 30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Net loans to customers - amortised cost 102.7 103.8 108.2
Customer deposits 178.3 176.0 167.7
RWAs 66.4 69.5 75.1

| Commercial Banking delivered a
resilient performance in Q3 2021 with an operating profit of £625 million
including a £216 million impairment release as the UK economy continued to
recover. Commercial Banking continues to actively manage its balance sheet to
enhance returns through a combination of active capital management, pricing
discipline, targeted sector appetite and growing capital efficient revenue
streams. These actions have enabled the business to deliver a resilient
revenue performance whilst materially increasing capital efficiency and
returns. | |
| --- | --- |
| In the nine months ended 30
September 2021, Commercial Banking completed £3.4 billion of CSFF, including
£0.9 billion in Q3 2021 which will contribute towards the new NatWest Group
target of £100 billion between 1 July 2021 and the end of 2025. Commercial
Banking continues to scale Tyl to business customers providing an opportunity
to reduce cash usage and customer footfall in branch network. Tyl has
processed over £1.5 billion transactions since inception in 2019. | |
| ● | Total income was £39 million, or 3.9%, lower than Q3 2020
as lower deposit returns and lower lending volumes were partially offset by a
recovery in transactional banking volumes. Total income was £17 million, or
1.7%, lower than Q2 2021 mainly reflecting the non-repeat of a tax variable
lease repricing gain of £32 million and lower lending volumes, partially
offset by higher deposit returns and increased transactional banking income. |
| ● | Net interest margin was 11 basis points lower than Q2 2021
mainly due to the non-repeat of the tax variable lease repricing gain in Q2
2021. Excluding the impact of the tax variable lease repricing gain, NIM was
broadly stable compared with Q2 2021. |
| ● | Operating expenses of £556 million were £3 million, or
0.5%, higher than Q3 2020. Other expenses were £6 million, or 1.2%, lower
than Q3 2020 primarily reflecting an 8.3% reduction in headcount and lower
non-staff costs, including additional VAT recoveries, partially offset by
higher back office operational costs. |
| ● | A net impairment release of £216 million in Q3 2021
primarily reflects ECL releases related to the reduced economic uncertainty
with Stage 3 defaults remaining at low levels. |
| ● | Net loans to customers decreased by £1.1 billion, or 1.1%,
compared with Q2 2021 primarily reflecting UK Government financial support
scheme repayments of £0.7 billion and targeted sector reductions mainly
across Real Estate and Retail, partially offset by growth in Specialised
Business of £0.3 billion as customer utilisation levels increased. RCF
utilisation was approximately 19% of committed facilities, broadly stable
versus Q2 2021 and significantly below the COVID-19 peak of approximately
40%. |
| ● | Customer deposits increased by £2.3 billion, or 1.3%,
compared with Q2 2021 as customers continued to build and retain liquidity. |
| ● | RWAs decreased by £3.1
billion, or 4.5%, compared with Q2 2021 reflecting business movements
including targeted sector reductions across Real Estate and Retail as well as
active capital management of £0.7 billion. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 12

Business performance summary

International Banking & Markets

RBS International

Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Total income 136 133 112
Operating expenses (60) (55) (53)
of which: Other expenses (56) (52) (50)
Impairment releases/(losses) 11 27 (34)
Operating profit 87 105 25
Return on equity 21.6% 26.5% 6.4%
Net interest margin 0.99% 1.02% 1.07%
Cost:income ratio 44.1% 41.4% 47.3%
Loan impairment rate (28)bps (71)bps 105bps
As at — 30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Net loans to customers - amortised cost 15.6 15.1 13.3
Customer deposits 36.9 33.9 31.3
RWAs 8.1 7.6 7.5
Depositary assets (1) 463.8 460.4 427.5

(1) Assets held by RBSI as an independent trustee and in a depositary service capacity.

| During Q3 2021 RBS International (RBSI) delivered £87
million of operating profit, supported by net lending growth and an
impairment release. RBSI also supported local social enterprises to thrive
through mentoring programmes and delivered digital enhancements to eQ, our
payment processing platform, making batch payments easier for our customers.
In the nine months ended 30 September 2021, RBSI completed £0.6 billion of
CSFF. | |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Total income was £24 million, or 21.4%, higher than Q3
2020 primarily due to higher average customer volumes and higher non
utilisation and depositary fees. Net interest margin was 3 basis points lower
than Q2 2021 primarily due to lower returns from higher surplus deposits. |
| ● | Operating expenses of £60 million were £7 million, or
13.2%, higher than Q3 2020. Other expenses were £6 million, or 12.0%, higher
than Q3 2020 primarily reflecting higher investment spend. |
| ● | A net impairment release of £11 million in Q3 2021
primarily reflects releases across Stage 1 and Stage 2 portfolios. |
| ● | Net loans to customers increased by £0.5 billion, or 3.3%,
reflecting new business growth and higher utilisation levels in the Institutional
Banking sector. |
| ● | Customer deposits increased by £3.0 billion, or 8.8%,
compared with Q2 2021 due to higher short-term placements in the
Institutional Banking sector. |
| ● | Depositary assets were £3.4 billion, or 0.7% higher than
Q2 2021 and £60.9 billion, or 15.1%, higher than Q3 2020 reflecting new
client business, new fund launches and strong fund performance from existing
clients. |
| ● | RWAs
increased by £0.5 billion, or 6.6%, compared with Q2 2021 principally due to
higher lending volumes and higher
deposit balances placed with third party banks. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 13

Business performance summary

International Banking & Markets

NatWest Markets (1)

Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Income excluding revenue share, asset disposals and OCA 160 193 325
Revenue share paid to other NatWest Group segments (55) (50) (45)
Income excluding asset disposals and OCA 105 143 280
Asset disposals/strategic risk reduction (2) (12) (36) (12)
Own credit adjustments (OCA) 2 (1) (34)
Total income 95 106 234
Operating expenses (258) (285) (302)
of which: Other expenses (206) (216) (225)
Impairment releases 3 10 2
Operating loss (160) (169) (66)
Return on equity (12.1%) (12.1%) (4.7%)
Cost:income ratio 271.6% 268.9% 129.1%
As at — 30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Funded assets 108.0 111.8 105.9
RWAs 25.4 26.9 26.9

| (1) | The NatWest Markets operating segment is not the same
as the NatWest Markets Plc legal entity (NWM Plc) or group (NWM or NWM Group)
as the NatWest Markets segment excludes the Central items & other
segment. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Asset disposals/strategic
risk reduction relates to the cost of exiting positions, which includes
changes in carrying value to align to the expected exit valuation, and the
impact of risk reduction transactions entered into, in respect of the
strategic announcement on 14 February 2020. |

| NatWest
Markets has supported customers in navigating challenging market conditions
and continued to deliver an integrated customer proposition across NatWest
Group. NatWest Markets has maintained a focus on product innovation,
investing in its people, and on growing its expertise in areas that matter
most to customers. | |
| --- | --- |
| In
the nine months ended 30 September 2021, NatWest Markets completed £6.9
billion of CSFF, including £0.5 billion in Q3 2021 which will contribute
towards the new NatWest Group target of £100 billion between 1 July 2021 and
the end of 2025. | |
| ● | Total income of £95 million was £139 million, or 59.4%,
lower compared with Q3 2020. Income excluding asset disposals/strategic risk
reduction and OCA decreased by £175 million, or 62.5%, compared with Q3 2020
reflecting continued weakness in Fixed Income which was impacted by subdued
levels of customer activity and ongoing reshaping of the business, resulting
in an operating loss of £160 million in Q3 2021. The Currencies and Capital
Markets businesses performed in line with expectations. |
| ● | Operating expenses of £258 million were £44 million, or
14.6%, lower compared with Q3 2020. Other expenses decreased £19 million, or
8.4%, compared with Q3 2020, reflecting continued reductions in line with the
strategic announcement in February 2020. |
| ● | RWAs decreased by £1.5 billion,
or 5.6%, compared to Q2 2021 as the impact related to LIBOR cessation largely
unwound, with £2.4 billion unwinding in Q3 2021 and £0.1 billion to unwind in
October, partially offset by higher credit risk driven by activity in the
capital markets business. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 14

Business performance summary

Ulster Bank RoI

Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Total income 145 119 130
Operating expenses (123) (136) (127)
of which: Other expenses (114) (130) (120)
Impairment releases/(losses) 16 (1) (8)
Operating profit/(loss) 38 (18) (5)
Return on equity 9.6% (4.3%) 1.0%
Net interest margin 1.38% 1.45% 1.46%
Cost:income ratio 84.8% 114.3% 97.7%
Loan impairment rate (47)bps 2bps 17bps
As at — 30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Net loans to customers - amortised cost 13.2 16.7 18.0
Customer deposits 18.5 18.5 19.6
RWAs 10.0 10.5 11.8

| Ulster Bank RoI continues its phased withdrawal from
the Republic of Ireland and delivered an operating profit of £38 million (€46
million) for Q3 2021. Since the end of July, apart from UBIDAC’s asset
finance business, commercial banking has been closed to new customers,
remaining open for existing customers only. From the end of October, Ulster
Bank RoI will stop accepting applications from new personal customers but
will continue to consider applications on a reduced number of products from
existing personal customers. Progress has continued with Allied Irish Banks
p.l.c. and Permanent TSB Group Holdings p.l.c. for the sale of performing loan
portfolios and associated undrawn exposures, UBIDAC’s asset finance business
and 25 branch locations, the details of which were outlined in the interim
results. Discussions are ongoing with other counterparties about their
potential interest in other parts of the bank. | |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Total income increased by £15 million (€26 million), or 11.5%
(17.9% in euro terms), compared with Q3 2020 primarily due to gains arising
from the restructuring of the duration of swaps hedging deposits and other
balances under the withdrawal plan, partially offset by lower lending levels
and fee income as a result of the decision to withdraw from the RoI market. |
| ● | Net interest margin was 7 basis points (3 basis points in
euro terms) lower than Q2 2021 reflecting continuation of reducing lending
volumes against a stable deposit base, resulting in higher liquid assets in a
negative interest rate environment. |
| ● | Operating expenses of £123 million were £4 million, or
3.1%, lower compared with Q3 2020. Other expenses were £6 million, or 5.0%,
lower than Q3 2020. In euro terms, other expenses were €5 million, or 3.9%,
higher than Q3 2020 as higher VAT charges and regulatory levies have been
partially offset by a 10.7% reduction in headcount, lower back office
operational costs and the reclassification of withdrawal-related programme
costs to strategic costs. |
| ● | A net impairment release of £16 million (€19 million) in
Q3 2021 reflects improvements in the mortgage and commercial portfolios. |
| ● | Net loans to customers
decreased by £3.5 billion (€4.1 billion), or 21.0% (21.1% in euro terms),
compared with Q2 2021 reflecting the reclassification of £3.2 billion (€3.7
billion) of loans agreed to be sold to Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. as assets
held for sale and repayments continuing to exceed gross new lending, which
was £0.3 billion (€0.4 billion) in Q3 2021. |

Central items & other

Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Central items not allocated (173) 110 (285)

● A £173 million operating loss within central items not allocated mainly reflects various litigation and conduct items, partially offset by a £79 million share of gains under equity accounting for Business Growth Fund and other treasury income.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 15

Segment performance

Nine months ended 30 September 2021
International Banking & Markets
Retail Private Commercial RBS NatWest Ulster Central items Total NatWest
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI & other Group
£m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Income statement
Net interest income 3,017 354 1,937 277 (4) 275 14 5,870
Own credit adjustments - - - - 3 - (1) 2
Other non-interest income 264 209 951 115 391 113 178 2,221
Total income 3,281 563 2,888 392 390 388 191 8,093
Direct expenses
- staff costs (342) (102) (421) (80) (274) (140) (1,146) (2,505)
- other costs (161) (30) (196) (36) (93) (97) (1,660) (2,273)
Indirect expenses (1,142) (227) (956) (44) (295) (122) 2,786 -
Strategic costs
- direct (21) (7) (43) (7) (141) (10) (180) (409)
- indirect (49) (7) (30) (3) (15) (3) 107 -
Litigation and conduct costs (24) 8 (62) (2) - (12) (184) (276)
Operating expenses (1,739) (365) (1,708) (172) (818) (384) (277) (5,463)
Operating profit/(loss)before impairment releases 1,542 198 1,180 220 (428) 4 (86) 2,630
Impairment releases 41 42 784 40 19 27 (4) 949
Operating profit/(loss) 1,583 240 1,964 260 (409) 31 (90) 3,579
Additional information
Return on tangible equity (1) na na na na na na na 10.7%
Return on equity (1) 28.3% 15.5% 21.9% 21.9% (10.1%) 2.5% nm na
Cost:income ratio (1) 53.0% 64.8% 57.6% 43.9% 209.7% 99.0% nm 67.1%
Total assets (£bn) 207.6 28.2 186.0 39.9 210.1 25.2 81.3 778.3
Funded assets (£bn) (1) 207.6 28.2 186.0 39.9 108.0 25.2 79.6 674.5
Net loans to customers - amortised cost (£bn) 180.5 18.4 102.7 15.6 7.1 13.2 23.5 361.0
Loan impairment rate (1) (3)bps (30)bps (100)bps (34)bps nm (26)bps nm (35)bps
Impairment provisions (£bn) (1.6) (0.1) (1.9) (0.1) (0.1) (0.5) - (4.3)
Impairment provisions - stage 3 (£bn) (0.8) - (0.8) (0.1) (0.1) (0.4) - (2.2)
Customer deposits (£bn) 186.3 35.7 178.3 36.9 2.2 18.5 18.4 476.3
Risk-weighted assets (RWAs) (£bn) 36.6 11.4 66.4 8.1 25.4 10.0 1.9 159.8
RWA equivalent (RWAe) (£bn) 36.6 11.4 66.5 8.2 26.9 10.0 2.1 161.7
Employee numbers (FTEs - thousands) 15.0 1.9 8.8 1.6 1.6 2.5 27.5 58.9
Third party customer asset rate (2) 2.68% 2.36% 2.71% 2.23% nm 2.27% nm nm
Third party customer funding rate (2) (0.06%) 0.00% (0.01%) 0.07% nm 0.01% nm nm
Average interest earning assets (£bn) (1) 194.2 26.8 168.0 36.2 32.4 25.6 nm 525.4
Bank net interest margin (1) 2.08% 1.77% 1.54% 1.02% na 1.44% nm 1.59%
Bank net interest margin excluding liquid asset
buffer (1) na na na na na na na 2.38%

nm =' not' meaningful, na =' not' applicable.

Refer to page 20 for the notes to this table.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 16

Segment performance

Nine months ended 30 September 2020
International Banking & Markets
Retail Private Commercial RBS NatWest Ulster Central items Total NatWest
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI & other Group
£m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Income statement
Net interest income 2,919 371 2,073 286 (55) 294 (110) 5,778
Own credit adjustments - - - - 19 - - 19
Other non-interest income 288 208 934 85 1,086 85 (222) 2,464
Total income 3,207 579 3,007 371 1,050 379 (332) 8,261
Direct expenses
- staff costs (399) (117) (497) (92) (434) (150) (934) (2,623)
- other costs (152) (36) (212) (37) (131) (65) (1,702) (2,335)
Indirect expenses (1,178) (194) (957) (42) (229) (139) 2,739 -
Strategic costs
- direct (46) (4) (5) (8) (187) (9) (428) (687)
- indirect (138) (10) (111) (3) (24) (10) 296 -
Litigation and conduct costs 191 (3) 8 3 (4) 1 (115) 81
Operating expenses (1,722) (364) (1,774) (179) (1,009) (372) (144) (5,564)
Operating profit/(loss) before impairment (losses) 1,485 215 1,233 192 41 7 (476) 2,697
Impairment losses (727) (74) (1,917) (80) (38) (251) (25) (3,112)
Operating profit/(loss) 758 141 (684) 112 3 (244) (501) (415)
Additional information
Return on tangible equity (1) na na na na na na na (2.7%)
Return on equity (1) 12.2% 9.2% (8.7%) 10.0% (0.8%) (16.6%) nm na
Cost:income ratio (1) 53.7% 62.9% 57.4% 48.2% 96.1% 98.2% nm 66.9%
Total assets (£bn) 189.5 24.9 186.9 32.7 283.2 27.4 47.0 791.6
Funded assets (£bn) (1) 189.5 24.9 186.9 32.7 121.3 27.4 44.6 627.3
Net loans to customers - amortised cost (£bn) 166.7 16.5 110.0 12.8 10.1 18.3 19.3 353.7
Loan impairment rate (1) 57bps 59bps 226bps 83bps nm 175bps nm 115bps
Impairment provisions (£bn) (1.9) (0.1) (3.0) (0.1) (0.2) (0.8) - (6.1)
Impairment provisions - stage 3 (£bn) (0.9) - (1.1) - (0.2) (0.5) - (2.7)
Customer deposits (£bn) 164.9 30.3 161.3 30.4 4.7 19.6 7.2 418.4
Risk-weighted assets (RWAs) (£bn) 36.3 10.6 76.5 7.0 30.0 12.1 1.4 173.9
RWA equivalent (RWAe) (£bn) 36.3 10.6 76.6 7.1 32.0 12.1 1.4 176.1
Employee numbers (FTEs - thousands) 16.6 1.8 9.6 1.7 2.8 2.8 26.3 61.6
Third party customer asset rate (2) 2.92% 2.59% 2.93% 2.57% nm 2.27% nm nm
Third party customer funding rate (2) (0.23%) (0.15%) (0.10%) (0.03%) nm (0.05%) nm nm
Average interest earning assets (£bn) (1) 179.8 23.3 160.8 31.3 38.4 26.2 nm 487.8
Bank net interest margin (1) 2.17% 2.12% 1.72% 1.22% na 1.50% nm 1.73%
Bank net interest margin excluding liquid asset
buffer (1) na na na na na na na 2.45%

nm =' not' meaningful, na =' not' applicable.

Refer to page 20 for the notes to this table.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 17

Segment performance

Quarter ended 30 September 2021
International Banking & Markets
Retail Private Commercial RBS NatWest Ulster Central items Total NatWest
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI & other Group
£m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Income statement
Net interest income 1,041 122 629 95 (1) 88 (20) 1,954
Own credit adjustments - - - - 2 - - 2
Other non-interest income 90 73 336 41 94 57 127 818
Total income 1,131 195 965 136 95 145 107 2,774
Direct expenses
- staff costs (110) (35) (141) (28) (86) (46) (378) (824)
- other costs (50) (10) (65) (12) (29) (29) (552) (747)
Indirect expenses (383) (72) (314) (16) (91) (39) 915 -
Strategic costs
- direct (5) (2) (4) (1) (51) (9) (5) (77)
- indirect 11 - (7) (1) 1 (1) (3) -
Litigation and conduct costs (15) 3 (25) (2) (2) 1 (254) (294)
Operating expenses (552) (116) (556) (60) (258) (123) (277) (1,942)
Operating profit/(loss) before impairment (losses)/releases 579 79 409 76 (163) 22 (170) 832
Impairment (losses)/releases (16) 15 216 11 3 16 (3) 242
Operating profit/(loss) 563 94 625 87 (160) 38 (173) 1,074
Additional information
Return on tangible equity (1) na na na na na na na 8.5%
Return on equity (1) 29.9% 18.1% 21.7% 21.6% (12.1%) 9.6% nm na
Cost:income ratio (1) 48.8% 59.5% 56.0% 44.1% 271.6% 84.8% nm 69.6%
Total assets (£bn) 207.6 28.2 186.0 39.9 210.1 25.2 81.3 778.3
Funded assets (£bn) (1) 207.6 28.2 186.0 39.9 108.0 25.2 79.6 674.5
Net loans to customers - amortised cost (£bn) 180.5 18.4 102.7 15.6 7.1 13.2 23.5 361.0
Loan impairment rate (1) 4bps (32)bps (83)bps (28)bps nm (47)bps nm (26)bps
Impairment provisions (£bn) (1.6) (0.1) (1.9) (0.1) (0.1) (0.5) - (4.3)
Impairment provisions - stage 3 (£bn) (0.8) - (0.8) (0.1) (0.1) (0.4) - (2.2)
Customer deposits (£bn) 186.3 35.7 178.3 36.9 2.2 18.5 18.4 476.3
Risk-weighted assets (RWAs) (£bn) 36.6 11.4 66.4 8.1 25.4 10.0 1.9 159.8
RWA equivalent (RWAe) (£bn) 36.6 11.4 66.5 8.2 26.9 10.0 2.1 161.7
Employee numbers (FTEs - thousands) 15.0 1.9 8.8 1.6 1.6 2.5 27.5 58.9
Third party customer asset rate (2) 2.64% 2.36% 2.65% 2.24% nm 2.24% nm nm
Third party customer funding rate (2) (0.05%) 0.00% 0.00% 0.07% nm 0.02% nm nm
Average interest earning assets (£bn) (1) 197.5 27.5 167.5 37.9 32.5 25.2 nm 537.4
Bank net interest margin (1) 2.09% 1.76% 1.49% 0.99% na 1.38% nm 1.54%
Bank net interest margin excluding liquid asset buffer (1) na na na na na na na 2.34%

nm =' not' meaningful, na =' not' applicable.

Refer to page 20 for the notes to this table.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 18

Segment performance

Quarter ended 30 June 2021
International Banking & Markets
Retail Private Commercial RBS NatWest Ulster Central items Total NatWest
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI & other Group
£m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Income statement
Net interest income 1,003 117 665 93 4 93 10 1,985
Own credit adjustments - - - - (1) - (1) (2)
Other non-interest income 91 66 317 40 103 26 34 677
Total income 1,094 183 982 133 106 119 43 2,660
Direct expenses
- staff costs (116) (33) (139) (26) (77) (47) (371) (809)
- other costs (50) (11) (65) (11) (35) (45) (542) (759)
Indirect expenses (379) (76) (301) (15) (104) (38) 913 -
Strategic costs
- direct (5) (5) (13) (2) (60) (1) (86) (172)
- indirect (43) (3) (14) (1) (11) (1) 73 -
Litigation and conduct costs (7) - (37) - 2 (4) 80 34
Operating expenses (600) (128) (569) (55) (285) (136) 67 (1,706)
Operating profit/(loss) before impairment releases/(losses) 494 55 413 78 (179) (17) 110 954
Impairment releases/(losses) 91 27 451 27 10 (1) - 605
Operating profit/(loss) 585 82 864 105 (169) (18) 110 1,559
Additional information
Return on tangible equity (1) na na na na na na na 15.6%
Return on equity (1) 32.0% 15.9% 29.3% 26.5% (12.1%) (4.3%) nm na
Cost:income ratio (1) 54.8% 69.9% 56.4% 41.4% 268.9% 114.3% nm 63.7%
Total assets (£bn) 204.2 27.7 185.8 37.0 219.4 25.4 76.4 775.9
Funded assets (£bn) (1) 204.2 27.7 185.8 36.9 111.8 25.4 74.5 666.3
Net loans to customers - amortised cost (£bn) 178.1 18.0 103.8 15.1 6.3 16.7 24.7 362.7
Loan impairment rate (1) (20)bps (60)bps (170)bps (71)bps nm 2bps nm (66)bps
Impairment provisions (£bn) (1.6) (0.1) (2.1) (0.1) (0.1) (0.7) - (4.7)
Impairment provisions - stage 3 (£bn) (0.8) - (0.8) (0.1) (0.1) (0.4) - (2.2)
Customer deposits (£bn) 184.1 34.7 176.0 33.9 2.5 18.5 17.5 467.2
Risk-weighted assets (RWAs) (£bn) 35.6 11.2 69.5 7.6 26.9 10.5 1.7 163.0
RWA equivalent (RWAe) (£bn) 35.6 11.3 69.5 7.7 28.6 10.5 1.8 165.0
Employee numbers (FTEs - thousands) 15.3 1.9 9.1 1.6 1.6 2.6 27.1 59.2
Third party customer asset rate (2) 2.67% 2.36% 2.82% 2.18% nm 2.28% nm nm
Third party customer funding rate (2) (0.06%) 0.00% (0.02%) 0.09% nm 0.01% nm nm
Average interest earning assets (£bn) (1) 193.8 26.8 167.1 36.4 32.3 25.8 nm 526.1
Bank net interest margin (1) 2.08% 1.75% 1.60% 1.02% na 1.45% nm 1.61%
Bank net interest margin excluding liquid asset
buffer (1) na na na na na na na 2.40%

nm =' not' meaningful, na =' not' applicable.

For the notes to this table, refer to the following page.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 19

Segment performance

Quarter ended 30 September 2020
International Banking & Markets
Retail Private Commercial RBS NatWest Ulster Central items Total NatWest
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI & other Group
£m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Income statement
Net interest income 937 120 703 85 (21) 100 2 1,926
Own credit adjustments - - - - (34) - - (34)
Other non-interest income 85 67 301 27 289 30 (268) 531
Total income 1,022 187 1,004 112 234 130 (266) 2,423
Direct expenses
- staff costs (131) (38) (156) (27) (108) (50) (317) (827)
- other costs (49) (11) (72) (10) (37) (23) (554) (756)
Indirect expenses (380) (57) (299) (13) (80) (47) 876 -
Strategic costs
- direct (45) (4) (3) (5) (67) (5) (94) (223)
- indirect (35) - (38) 2 (8) (2) 81 -
Litigation and conduct costs (7) (2) 15 - (2) - (12) (8)
Operating expenses (647) (112) (553) (53) (302) (127) (20) (1,814)
Operating profit/(loss) before impairment (losses)/releases 375 75 451 59 (68) 3 (286) 609
Impairment (losses)/releases (70) (18) (127) (34) 2 (8) 1 (254)
Operating profit/(loss) 305 57 324 25 (66) (5) (285) 355
Additional information
Return on tangible equity (1) na na na na na na na 0.8%
Return on equity (1) 15.3% 11.2% 9.2% 6.4% (4.7%) (1.0%) nm na
Cost:income ratio (1) 63.3% 59.9% 53.4% 47.3% 129.1% 97.7% nm 74.5%
Total assets (£bn) 189.5 24.9 186.9 32.7 283.2 27.4 47.0 791.6
Funded assets (£bn) (1) 189.5 24.9 186.9 32.7 121.3 27.4 44.6 627.3
Net loans to customers - amortised cost (£bn) 166.7 16.5 110.0 12.8 10.1 18.3 19.3 353.7
Loan impairment rate (1) 17bps 43bps 45bps 105bps nm 17bps nm 28bps
Impairment provisions (£bn) (1.9) (0.1) (3.0) (0.1) (0.2) (0.8) - (6.1)
Impairment provisions - stage 3 (£bn) (0.9) - (1.1) - (0.2) (0.5) - (2.7)
Customer deposits (£bn) 164.9 30.3 161.3 30.4 4.7 19.6 7.2 418.4
Risk-weighted assets (RWAs) (£bn) 36.3 10.6 76.5 7.0 30.0 12.1 1.4 173.9
RWA equivalent (RWAe) (£bn) 36.3 10.6 76.6 7.1 32.0 12.1 1.4 176.1
Employee numbers (FTEs - thousands) 16.6 1.8 9.6 1.7 2.8 2.8 26.3 61.6
Third party customer asset rate (2) 2.82% 2.43% 2.73% 2.40% nm 2.27% nm nm
Third party customer funding rate (2) (0.13%) (0.02%) (0.02%) 0.03% nm (0.01%) nm nm
Average interest earning assets (£bn) (1) 182.2 24.0 169.3 31.5 39.2 27.3 nm 508.2
Bank net interest margin (1) 2.05% 1.99% 1.65% 1.07% na 1.46% nm 1.65%
Bank net interest margin excluding liquid asset
buffer (1) na na na na na na na 2.39%

nm =' not' meaningful, na =' not' applicable.

| (1) | Refer to Non-IFRS financial measures Appendix
for details of basis of preparation and reconciliation of non-IFRS financial
measures and performance metrics where relevant. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Third
party customer asset rate is calculated as annualised interest receivable on
third-party loans to customers as a percentage of third-party loans to
customers, including those reported as assets held for sale. This excludes
intragroup items, loans to banks and liquid asset portfolios. Third party
customer funding rate reflects interest payable or receivable on third-party
customer deposits, including interest bearing and non-interest bearing
customer deposits. Intragroup items, bank deposits, debt securities in issue
and subordinated liabilities are excluded for customer funding rate
calculation. Net interest margin is calculated as net interest income as a
percentage of the average interest-earning assets without these exclusions. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 20

Risk and capital management

Page
Credit risk
Segment
analysis – portfolio summary 21
Segment
analysis – loans 23
Movement in
ECL provision 23
ECL post
model adjustments 24
Sector
analysis – COVID-19
impact 25
Wholesale
support schemes 27
Capital,
liquidity and funding risk 28

Credit risk

Segment analysis – portfolio summary

The table below shows gross loans and expected credit loss (ECL), by segment and stage, within the scope of the IFRS 9 ECL framework.

Retail Private Commercial International Banking & Markets — RBS NatWest Ulster Central items
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI (1) & other Total
30 September 2021 £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Loans - amortised cost and FVOCI (2)
Stage 1 167,641 17,511 78,185 15,791 8,401 11,530 28,023 327,082
Stage 2 12,511 1,018 24,266 1,815 361 1,407 107 41,485
Stage 3 1,902 289 2,112 178 98 854 - 5,433
Of which: individual - 289 1,089 178 88 37 - 1,681
Of which: collective 1,902 - 1,023 - 10 817 - 3,752
182,054 18,818 104,563 17,784 8,860 13,791 28,130 374,000
ECL provisions (3)
Stage 1 137 16 164 11 9 30 15 382
Stage 2 641 36 1,050 37 35 85 15 1,899
Stage 3 833 40 786 49 81 382 - 2,171
Of which: individual - 40 380 49 72 14 - 555
Of which: collective 833 - 406 - 9 368 - 1,616
1,611 92 2,000 97 125 497 30 4,452
ECL provisions coverage (4)
Stage 1 (%) 0.08 0.09 0.21 0.07 0.11 0.26 0.05 0.12
Stage 2 (%) 5.12 3.54 4.33 2.04 9.70 6.04 14.02 4.58
Stage 3 (%) 43.80 13.84 37.22 27.53 82.65 44.73 - 39.96
0.88 0.49 1.91 0.55 1.41 3.60 0.11 1.19
30 June 2021
Loans - amortised cost and FVOCI (2)
Stage 1 158,989 16,728 75,713 15,027 7,019 13,732 29,493 316,701
Stage 2 18,866 1,444 27,895 1,342 721 2,821 99 53,188
Stage 3 1,921 307 2,226 206 108 935 - 5,703
Of which: individual - 307 1,202 206 98 38 - 1,851
Of which: collective 1,921 - 1,024 - 10 897 - 3,852
179,776 18,479 105,834 16,575 7,848 17,488 29,592 375,592
ECL provisions (3)
Stage 1 120 21 208 15 10 44 15 433
Stage 2 709 49 1,222 46 36 225 13 2,300
Stage 3 811 36 812 47 88 398 - 2,192
Of which: individual - 36 386 47 79 12 - 560
Of which: collective 811 - 426 - 9 386 - 1,632
1,640 106 2,242 108 134 667 28 4,925
ECL provisions coverage (4)
Stage 1 (%) 0.08 0.13 0.27 0.10 0.14 0.32 0.05 0.14
Stage 2 (%) 3.76 3.39 4.38 3.43 4.99 7.98 13.13 4.32
Stage 3 (%) 42.22 11.73 36.48 22.82 81.48 42.57 - 38.44
0.91 0.57 2.12 0.65 1.71 3.81 0.09 1.31

For the notes to this table refer to the following page.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 21

Risk and capital management

Credit risk continued

Segment analysis – portfolio summary

Retail Private Commercial International Banking & Markets — RBS NatWest Ulster Central items
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI & other Total
31 December 2020 £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Loans - amortised cost and FVOCI (2)
Stage 1 139,956 15,321 70,685 12,143 7,780 14,380 26,859 287,124
Stage 2 32,414 1,939 37,344 2,242 1,566 3,302 110 78,917
Stage 3 1,891 298 2,551 211 171 1,236 - 6,358
Of which: individual - 298 1,578 211 162 43 - 2,292
Of which: collective 1,891 - 973 - 9 1,193 - 4,066
174,261 17,558 110,580 14,596 9,517 18,918 26,969 372,399
ECL provisions (3)
Stage 1 134 31 270 14 12 45 13 519
Stage 2 897 68 1,713 74 49 265 15 3,081
Stage 3 806 39 1,069 48 132 492 - 2,586
Of which: individual - 39 607 48 124 13 - 831
Of which: collective 806 - 462 - 8 479 - 1,755
1,837 138 3,052 136 193 802 28 6,186
ECL provisions coverage (4)
Stage 1 (%) 0.10 0.20 0.38 0.12 0.15 0.31 0.05 0.18
Stage 2 (%) 2.77 3.51 4.59 3.30 3.13 8.03 13.64 3.90
Stage 3 (%) 42.62 13.09 41.91 22.75 77.19 39.81 - 40.67
1.05 0.79 2.76 0.93 2.03 4.24 0.10 1.66

| (1) | 30
September 2021 data excludes £3.3 billion of gross loans and £148 million of
ECL that were reclassified as assets held-for-sale. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Fair
value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI). |
| (3) | Includes
£7 million (30 June 2021 – £6 million; 31 December 2020 – £6 million) related
to assets classified as FVOCI. |
| (4) | ECL
provisions coverage is calculated as ECL provisions divided by loans –
amortised cost and FVOCI. It is calculated on third party loans and total ECL
provisions. |
| (5) | The
table shows gross loans only and excludes amounts that were outside the scope
of the ECL framework. Other financial assets within the scope of the IFRS 9
ECL framework were cash and balances at central banks totalling £163.6
billion (30 June 2021 – £150.5 billion; 31 December 2020 – £122.7 billion)
and debt securities of £45.7 billion (30 June 2021 – £49.8 billion; 31
December 2020 – £53.8 billion). |

| ● | Stage 1 and Stage 2 ECL reduced further in Q3 2021, with
sustained improvement in underlying risk metrics underpinned by various
government support schemes. The Stage 2 population reduced reflecting lower
underlying PDs, resulting in migration of cases back to Stage 1. The Stage 2
population remained above pre-COVID-19 levels. |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Stage 3 loans and ECL balances
reduced slightly in Q3 2021 mainly due to write-off and repayment of
defaulted debt. To date, the various COVID-19 related government support
schemes have mitigated new flows into default. It is expected that defaults
will increase as the various government support schemes unwind. |
| ● | The economic scenarios driving
the ECL requirement, as well as the model performance considerations, were
consistent with those described in the NatWest Group 2021 Interim Results. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 22

Risk and capital management

Credit risk continued

Segment analysis – loans

| ● | Retail Banking – Balance
sheet growth since the 2020 year end was mainly in mortgages, with strong mortgage
growth particularly in property purchases following the easing of COVID-19
restrictions and the extension of the stamp duty holiday. Unsecured balances
increased slightly during Q3 2021 mainly due to increased credit card
spending as lockdown restrictions eased. In both the mortgage and unsecured
portfolios, selective relaxation of lending criteria was implemented during
2021. Stage 2 balances decreased, reflecting the ongoing stable portfolio
performance but was primarily a result of the improved economic outlook
during 2021, with reduced PDs driving migration back into Stage 1 after
conclusion of the three month significant increase in credit risk
“persistence” period. Stage 3 ECL was stable in Q3 2021 as new defaults
remained subdued due to the effects of government support schemes. There is
an expectation that defaults will increase in the coming months with the
ending of the government job retention scheme, but uncertainty remains on the
timing and extent of this. |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Commercial Banking – Balance sheet reduction during Q3 2021 reflected a decrease in
both government support scheme debt and conventional debt. A further
reduction is expected in government support scheme exposure during Q4 2021 as
repayments continue and government support schemes are closed for new
lending. Outside of government support scheme lending, there was a decrease
due to strategic reductions in exposure to high risk sectors. Sector appetite
continues to be regularly reviewed based on updated financial performance and
economic outlook for the sectors. Stage 2 balances continued to fall
reflecting positive economic outlook and portfolio performance which is
lowering PDs and resulting in exposure migrating back to Stage 1. PD
deterioration remains the primary driver of cases in Stage 2. This migration
of cases back to Stage 1 also led to a reduction in ECL as more exposure
moves to a 12 month expected credit loss assessment from a lifetime loss
assessment. Stage 3 balances continued to reduce as the pace of repayment and
write-off of existing impaired debt outweighed the effect of new flows to
default. The termination of the
government BBL, CBIL and CLBIL support schemes, commencement of government
support scheme repayments and the expiration of capital repayment holidays
could trigger a rise in problem debt. While Wholesale forbearance increased during 2020, there has
been a reducing trend in 2021. Payment holidays and covenant waivers were,
and remain, the most common forms of forbearance granted. |
| ● | Ulster Bank RoI – Balance sheet reductions reflected loan amortisation outstripping new lending following the
announcement of the phased withdrawal of Ulster Bank RoI from the Irish
market . Stage 3 balances continued to
reduce as new defaults remained subdued. In Q3 2021, £3.2 billion of net
performing commercial loans were reclassified as assets held-for-sale, for
which Ulster Bank RoI has entered a binding agreement to sell to Allied Irish
Banks p.l.c.. |

Movement in ECL provision

The table below shows the main ECL provision movements.

ECL provision
£m
At 1 January 2021 6,186
Changes in economic forecasts (363)
Changes in risk metrics and exposure: Stage 1 and Stage 2 (784)
Changes in risk metrics and exposure: Stage 3 122
Judgemental changes: changes in post model adjustments for Stage
1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 63
Write-offs and other (772)
At 30 September 2021 4,452

| ● | ECL reduced during 2021 as the economy recovered from COVID-19
and government support schemes mitigated the flow of cases into default. |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Economic forecasts were updated for H1 2021 and drove a
reduction in ECL on implementation. The positive economics, both forward
looking and actual economic outcomes resulted in improving underlying
portfolio credit metrics resulting in a reduction in Stage 1 and Stage 2 ECL. |
| ● | Stage 3 movements remained relatively muted with low level
underlying defaults, partially offset by ECL releases on previously impaired
exposure. |
| ● | Judgemental overlays increased during 2021, mainly due to
deferred model calibrations where implied ECL releases were not deemed
supportable. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 23

Risk and capital management

Credit risk continued

ECL post model adjustments

The table below shows ECL post model adjustments by segment.

Retail Banking (1) Commercial Banking Ulster Bank RoI (1) Other Total
30 September 2021 £m £m £m £m £m
Deferred model calibrations 111 62 4 - 177
Economic uncertainty 169 469 61 30 729
Other adjustments 22 5 122 3 152
302 536 187 33 1,058
30 June 2021
Deferred model calibrations 103 51 (2) - 152
Economic uncertainty 197 493 114 30 834
Other adjustments 22 19 118 4 163
322 563 230 34 1,149
31 December 2020
Deferred model calibrations 34 13 2 - 49
Economic uncertainty 158 526 176 18 878
Other adjustments 20 19 26 3 68
212 558 204 21 995

(1) Of which: UK Retail Banking mortgages – £141 million (30 June 2021 – £150 million; 31 December 2020 – £123 million); Ulster Bank RoI mortgages – £181 million (30 June 2021 – £177 million; 31 December 2020 – £139 million); and Ulster Bank RoI Wholesale – £7 million (30 June 2021 – £54 million; 31 December 2020 – £65 million).

| ● | Retail
Banking – The post model adjustment for
deferred model calibrations increased to £111 million from £103 million at 30
June 2021. This reflected management’s continued judgement that the implied
ECL decreases that continued to manifest themselves through the standard
probability of default model monitoring process during the quarter were not
fully supportable. Management retained this view on the basis that underlying
portfolio performance has been underpinned by government support schemes and
further outcome data is required. |
| --- | --- |
| | The post model adjustment
for economic uncertainty decreased to £169 million from £197 million at 30
June 2021. This was primarily due to a post model adjustment release of £28
million relating to the improvement in the underlying risk profile of
customers who had accessed payment holiday support and were previously
considered higher risk (£55 million was held at 30 June 2021). In addition,
NatWest Group continues to retain a holdback of a modelled ECL release of £69
million, again due to the delayed default emergence reflective of the various
government support schemes (£15 million related to mortgages and £54 million
related to unsecured lending). The H1 2021 overlay also included an ECL
uplift on buy-to-let mortgages of £14 million (31 December 2020 – £15
million) to mitigate the risk of a disproportionate credit deterioration in
challenging economic circumstances. |
| ● | Commercial
Banking – The post model adjustment for
economic uncertainty included an overlay of £409 million (£450 million across
NatWest Group’s Wholesale portfolio) based on a judgemental thesis,
reflecting concern that the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 could result in
longer debt recovery periods and lower values than history suggested, and
also the risk of idiosyncratic credit outcomes. The overlay remains unchanged
since December 2020. It also included an overlay of £15 million in respect of
elevated concerns around borrowers’ ability to refinance facilities at the
end of the contractual term. This reduced from £23 million at H1 2021.
Additionally, it included overlays to address the effects of government
support schemes. |
| | There was also a post model
adjustment for deferred model calibrations on the business banking portfolio
reflecting management’s judgement that the beneficial modelling effect, and
implied ECL decrease, was not supportable while portfolio performance was under-pinned
by the effect of various government support schemes. |
| ● | Ulster Bank
RoI – T he post model adjustment for
deferred model calibration increased by £6 million from H1 2021. Similar to
Retail Banking, this post model adjustment reflected management’s view that
implied ECL decreases observable through the model monitoring process were
not fully supportable. Included in H1 2021 other adjustments, was a post
model adjustment of £118 million to reflect judgement that continuing actions
on the phased withdrawal of Ulster Bank RoI from the Irish market will lead
to higher/earlier crystallisation of losses. This post model adjustment
increased by £4 million to £122 million for Q3 2021. In Q3 2021, the economic
uncertainty adjustment decreased from £114 million to £61 million. This
reduction reflected post-model adjustments of £56 million allocated to assets
held-for-sale, for which Ulster Bank RoI has entered a binding agreement to
sell to Allied Irish Bank p.l.c.. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 24

Risk and capital management

Credit risk continued

S ector analysis – COVID-19 impact

The table below shows ECL, by stage, for the Personal portfolio and key sectors of the Wholesale portfolio, that continue to be affected by COVID-19.

Off-balance sheet
Loans - amortised cost & FVOCI Loan Contingent ECL provisions
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Total commitments liabilities Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Total
30 September 2021 £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Personal 194,957 14,036 2,925 211,918 38,867 62 170 716 1,161 2,047
Mortgages 185,621 10,986 2,207 198,814 15,444 - 45 225 559 829
Credit cards 2,844 909 82 3,835 15,295 - 56 172 60 288
Other personal 6,492 2,141 636 9,269 8,128 62 69 319 542 930
Wholesale 132,125 27,449 2,508 162,082 84,490 4,323 212 1,183 1,010 2,405
Property 27,657 4,896 1,108 33,661 16,620 461 52 194 402 648
Financial institutions 48,428 2,251 11 50,690 15,691 976 18 93 6 117
Sovereign 5,609 200 8 5,817 1,222 2 17 1 2 20
Corporate 50,431 20,102 1,381 71,914 50,957 2,884 125 895 600 1,620
Of which:
Airlines and aerospace 765 859 75 1,699 1,573 208 2 45 30 77
Automotive 4,486 1,702 20 6,208 3,984 72 12 34 12 58
Health 3,291 1,669 125 5,085 622 12 10 74 43 127
Land transport and logistics 3,243 1,305 46 4,594 3,081 231 5 62 20 87
Leisure 3,237 4,771 308 8,316 2,151 111 11 321 134 466
Oil and gas 1,173 349 53 1,575 1,469 403 2 21 30 53
Retail 6,133 1,958 152 8,243 5,211 419 11 46 68 125
Total 327,082 41,485 5,433 374,000 123,357 4,385 382 1,899 2,171 4,452
30 June 2021 — Personal 186,256 20,414 3,029 209,699 37,504 42 152 786 1,141 2,079
Mortgages 177,630 16,750 2,328 196,708 12,822 3 43 249 561 853
Credit cards 2,562 1,083 82 3,727 14,470 - 47 183 59 289
Other personal 6,064 2,581 619 9,264 10,212 39 62 354 521 937
Wholesale 130,445 32,774 2,674 165,893 85,724 4,348 281 1,514 1,051 2,846
Property 28,105 6,782 1,054 35,941 17,083 508 93 313 391 797
Financial institutions 47,694 2,361 17 50,072 14,659 926 21 115 7 143
Sovereign 5,596 153 9 5,758 1,356 2 18 1 2 21
Corporate 49,050 23,478 1,594 74,122 52,626 2,912 149 1,085 651 1,885
Of which:
Airlines and aerospace 635 1,017 60 1,712 1,805 209 2 33 27 62
Automotive 4,214 1,617 201 6,032 3,897 98 15 60 14 89
Health 3,136 2,276 123 5,535 650 12 12 116 47 175
Land transport and logistics 3,131 1,578 53 4,762 3,061 170 7 83 30 120
Leisure 3,264 5,578 305 9,147 2,106 123 15 323 142 480
Oil and gas 1,005 415 60 1,480 1,663 339 3 11 31 45
Retail 6,133 2,303 191 8,627 5,339 468 13 112 80 205
Total 316,701 53,188 5,703 375,592 123,228 4,390 433 2,300 2,192 4,925
31 December 2020
Personal 166,548 34,352 3,288 204,188 38,960 45 171 996 1,228 2,395
Mortgages 158,387 29,571 2,558 190,516 14,554 3 51 319 635 1,005
Credit cards 2,411 1,375 109 3,895 14,262 - 53 225 76 354
Other personal 5,750 3,406 621 9,777 10,144 42 67 452 517 1,036
Wholesale 120,576 44,565 3,070 168,211 89,845 4,785 348 2,085 1,358 3,791
Property 23,733 13,021 1,322 38,076 16,829 568 123 507 545 1,175
Financial institutions 44,002 3,624 17 47,643 15,935 1,076 23 90 8 121
Sovereign 4,751 204 4 4,959 1,585 2 14 1 2 17
Corporate 48,090 27,716 1,727 77,533 55,496 3,139 188 1,487 803 2,478
Of which:
Airlines and aerospace 753 1,213 41 2,007 1,888 215 2 42 25 69
Automotive 4,383 1,759 161 6,303 4,205 102 17 63 17 97
Health 2,694 2,984 131 5,809 616 14 13 164 48 225
Land transport and logistics 2,868 1,823 111 4,802 3,782 197 8 98 32 138
Leisure 3,299 6,135 385 9,819 2,199 125 22 439 204 665
Oil and gas 1,178 300 83 1,561 2,225 346 4 20 59 83
Retail 6,702 2,282 187 9,171 5,888 512 18 112 101 231
Total 287,124 78,917 6,358 372,399 128,805 4,830 519 3,081 2,586 6,186

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 25

Risk and capital management

Credit risk continued

S ector analysis – COVID-19 impact

| ● | Personal – Mortgage balances increased during 2021 with strong
purchase demand in the UK assisted by the extension of the stamp duty
holiday. Unsecured lending balances reduced during 2021, however as noted
earlier, increased slightly in Q3 2021 as COVID-19 restrictions eased and
lending criteria were selectively relaxed. As also noted previously, ECL in
Stage 2 decreased due to migrations back to Stage 1 following the effects of
the economic scenarios used since H1 2021 and continued stable portfolio
performance supporting improved risk metrics. The total ECL coverage
requirements were broadly stable during Q3 2021. |
| --- | --- |
| ● | Wholesale – On and
off-balance sheet exposure reduced during the quarter with lower demand for
new lending due to uncertainty in the economy and many customers able to
utilise the excess liquidity created by various government support schemes.
Additionally, there was a £0.7 billion decrease in government support scheme
lending following scheduled repayment activity. When the government BBL, CBIL
and CLBIL support schemes closed, approximately 317,000 applications across
all the schemes had been approved, totalling £14.7 billion in new lending, of
which, £13.4 billion had been drawdown. Approximately £1.1 billion has since
been repaid. 62% of the government support scheme lending by value had been
granted through BBLS. Construction (in Property), Retail and Leisure remain
the top three sectors for borrowers accessing the government support schemes.
Uptake for the subsequent Recovery Loan Scheme remains muted. Wholesale
credit risk outlook is still uncertain despite improving economic metrics.
The termination of the government BBL, CBIL and CLBIL support schemes,
commencement of government support scheme repayments and the expiration of
capital repayment holidays could trigger a rise in problem debt. Credit risk
measures continue to reflect a more stable environment but horizon risks
remain, including issues in the supply chain and rising energy costs which
are contributing to overall inflationary pressures. Sector appetite continued
to be regularly reviewed and where appropriate adjusted, for those sectors
most affected by COVID-19. Stage 2 balances continued to reduce reflecting
positive economic outlook and portfolio performance. In Q3 2021, £3.2 billion of net performing
commercial loans were reclassified as assets held-for-sale, for which Ulster
Bank RoI has entered a binding agreement to sell to Allied Irish Banks
p.l.c.. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 26

Risk and capital management

Credit risk continued

Wholesale support schemes

The table below shows the uptake of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) by Wholesale customers which ended for new applicants on 31 March 2021. Sectors shown are those that continue to be affected by COVID-19. Drawdown amounts reflect total balances net of repayments. These include the effects of further drawdowns, term extensions, and other loan adjustments.

BBLS — Approved Drawdown % of BBLS to CBILS — Approved Drawdown % of CBILS to CLBILS — Approved Drawdown % of CLBILS to
30 September 2021 volume amount (£m) sector loans volume amount (£m) sector loans volume amount (£m) sector loans
Wholesale lending by sector
Airlines and aerospace 260 6 0.35% 18 9 0.53% 4 16 0.94%
Automotive 12,839 389 6.27% 578 128 2.06% 26 30 0.48%
Education 2,050 50 3.37% 121 66 4.44% 10 32 2.15%
Health 10,248 282 5.55% 630 95 1.87% 3 19 0.37%
Land transport and logistics 8,996 243 5.29% 399 93 2.02% 1 - -
Leisure 32,721 931 11.20% 2,182 533 6.41% 39 194 2.33%
Oil and gas 329 9 0.57% 15 7 0.44% - - -
Retail 32,652 1,007 12.22% 1,655 370 4.49% 26 74 0.90%
Property 71,422 1,899 5.64% 2,491 632 1.88% 37 88 0.26%
Other (including Business
Banking) 127,787 3,029 3.32% 8,918 1,762 1.93% 84 300 0.33%
Total 299,304 7,845 4.84% 17,007 3,695 2.28% 230 753 0.46%

(1) The Recovery Loan Scheme, a successor to the closed BBLS, CBILS, and CLBILS was launched on 6 April 2021. Uptake of the new scheme was minimal with 364 customers having drawn down £30 million as at 30 September 2021.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 27

Risk and capital management

Capital, liquidity and funding risk

Introduction

NatWest Group continually ensures a comprehensive approach is taken to the management of Capital, Liquidity and Funding,

underpinned by frameworks, risk appetite and policies, to manage and mitigate Capital, Liquidity and Funding risks. The framework ensures the tools and capability are in place to facilitate the management and mitigation of risk ensuring that NatWest Group operates within its regulatory requirements and risk appetite.

Within the 2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F , NatWest Group outlined a number of COVID-19 specific relief measures which impacted capital and leverage ratios during the year, one of which was a temporary change to the Prudential Valuation Adjustment (PVA). From 1 January 2021, the aggregation factor reverted to 50% from 66%. This has increased NatWest Group’s PVA deduction by c.£120 million.

Key developments since December 2020

| CET1 (CRR
end-point) | The CET1 ratio increased by 20
basis points to 18.7%. The increase is primarily due to the attributable
profit in the period of £2.5 billion and a reduction in RWAs, partially
offset by the impact of the directed buy back and associated pension
contribution of £1.2 billion (72 bps), foreseeable charges and pension
contributions of £0.8 billion (48 bps), a £0.8 billion decrease in the IFRS 9
transitional adjustment (45 bps) and other reserve movements in the period. |
| --- | --- |
| Total RWAs | Total RWAs decreased 6.2% to
£159.8 billion mainly reflecting decreases in credit risk RWAs of £7.6
billion, market risk RWAs of £1.4 billion and operational risk RWAs of £0.9
billion following the annual recalculation in Q1 2021. The decrease in credit
risk RWAs was mainly driven by reductions in Commercial Banking and Ulster
Bank RoI. Market risk RWAs decreased £1.4 billion predominantly due to the
transition from LIBOR to alternative risk free rates. Counterparty credit
risk RWAs reduced by £0.6 billion as a result of reduced exposures in NatWest
Markets. |
| UK leverage
ratio | The UK leverage ratio
decreased c.50 basis points to 5.9% driven by a £2.7 billion decrease in Tier
1 capital. |
| Liquidity
portfolio | The liquidity portfolio
increased by £15.4 billion in the period to £277.8 billion at Q3 2021, with
primary liquidity increasing by £20.6 billion to £190.9 billion. The increase
in primary liquidity was mainly driven by customer deposits, cash proceeds
from new issuances and the methodology change to include UBIDAC cash at
central banks. This is offset by the TFSME repayment, buy back of shares
owned by UK Government, pension fund contributions, liability management
exercise, increased lending and the purchase of mortgages from Metro Bank.
Secondary liquidity is lower due to a reduction of collateral pre-positioned
with the Bank of England due to monthly repayments of underlying assets. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 28

Risk and capital management

Capital, liquidity and funding risk continued

Maximum Distributable Amount (MDA) and Minimum Capital Requirements

NatWest Group is subject to minimum capital requirements relative to RWAs. The table below summarises the minimum capital requirements (the sum of Pillar 1 and Pillar 2A), and the additional capital buffers which are held in excess of the regulatory minimum requirements and are usable in stress.

Where the CET1 ratio falls below the sum of the minimum capital and the combined buffer requirement, there is a subsequent automatic restriction on the amount available to service discretionary payments (including AT1 coupons), known as the MDA. Note that different requirements apply to individual legal entities or sub-groups and that the table shown does not reflect any incremental PRA buffer requirements, which are not disclosable.

The current capital position provides significant headroom above both our minimum requirements and our MDA threshold requirements.

Type CET1 Total Tier 1 Total capital
Pillar
1 requirements 4.5% 6.0% 8.0%
Pillar
2A requirements 2.0% 2.7% 3.6%
Minimum
Capital Requirements 6.5% 8.7% 11.6%
Capital
conservation buffer 2.5% 2.5% 2.5%
Countercyclical
capital buffer (1) - - -
MDA
threshold (2) 9.0% n/a n/a
Subtotal 9.0% 11.2% 14.1%
Capital
ratios at 30 September 2021 18.7% 21.1% 24.6%
Headroom (3) 9.7% 9.9% 10.5%

| (1) | In response to COVID-19, many countries
reduced their CCyB rates. Most notably for NatWest Group, the Financial
Policy Committee reduced the UK rate from 1% to 0% and the CBI also announced
a reduction of the Republic of Ireland rate from 1% to 0%. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Pillar 2A requirements for NatWest Group are set on a
nominal capital basis. |
| (3) | The headroom does not reflect excess
distributable capital and may vary over time. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 29

Risk and capital management

Capital, liquidity and funding risk continued

Capital and leverage ratios

The table below sets out the key capital and leverage ratios.

30 September 30 June 31 December
2021 2021 2020
Capital adequacy ratios (1) % % %
CET1 18.7 18.2 18.5
Tier 1 21.1 21.8 21.4
Total 24.6 24.9 24.5
Capital £m £m £m
Tangible equity 30,769 30,751 31,712
Prudential valuation adjustment (264) (285) (286)
Deferred tax assets (765) (832) (760)
Own credit adjustments 27 22 (1)
Pension fund assets (385) (384) (579)
Cash flow hedging reserve 254 77 (229)
Foreseeable ordinary dividends (402) (500) (364)
Foreseeable charges - on-market ordinary share buy back
programme (462) (750) -
Foreseeable pension contributions (354) (174) (266)
Prudential amortisation of software development costs 476 537 473
Adjustments under IFRS 9 transitional arrangements 973 1,198 1,747
Other adjustments for regulatory purposes (5) - -
Total deductions (907) (1,091) (265)
CET1 capital 29,862 29,660 31,447
AT1 capital 3,875 5,916 4,983
Tier 1 capital 33,737 35,576 36,430
Tier 2 capital 5,522 4,973 5,255
Total regulatory capital 39,259 40,549 41,685
Risk-weighted assets
Credit risk 122,270 122,475 129,914
Counterparty credit risk 8,475 8,619 9,104
Market risk 7,979 10,845 9,362
Operational risk 21,031 21,031 21,930
Total RWAs 159,755 162,970 170,310
Leverage
Cash and balances at central banks 164,851 151,511 124,489
Trading assets 66,357 70,195 68,990
Derivatives 103,770 109,556 166,523
Financial assets 417,273 422,356 422,647
Other assets 26,027 22,240 16,842
Total assets 778,278 775,858 799,491
Derivatives
- netting and variation margin (107,160) (112,441) (172,658)
- potential future exposures 36,382 37,468 38,171
Securities financing transactions gross up 1,903 1,486 1,179
Other off balance sheet items 44,292 43,979 45,853
Regulatory deductions and other adjustments (14,340) (13,831) (8,943)
Claims on central banks (161,688) (148,644) (122,252)
Exclusion of bounce back loans (7,845) (8,239) (8,283)
UK leverage exposure 569,822 575,636 572,558
UK leverage ratio % (2) 5.9 6.2 6.4

| (1) | Based on CRR end-point including an
IFRS 9 transitional adjustment of £1.0 billion (30 June 2021 - £1.2 billion,
31 December 2020 - £1.7 billion). Excluding this adjustment, the CET1 ratio
would be 18.1% (30 June 2021 – 17.5%, 31 December 2020 – 17.5%). The amended
article for the prudential treatment of software assets was implemented in
December 2020. Excluding this adjustment the CET1 ratio at 30 September 2021 would be 18.4% (30 June 2021 –
17.9%, 31 December 2020 – 18.2%). |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | The UK leverage ratio excludes
central bank claims from the leverage exposure where deposits held are
denominated in the same currency and of contractual maturity that is equal or
longer than that of the central bank claims. Excluding an IFRS 9 transitional
adjustment, the UK leverage ratio would be 5.8% (30 June 2021 – 6.0%, 31
December 2020 – 6.1%). The amended article for the prudential treatment of
software assets was implemented in December 2020. Excluding this adjustment,
the UK leverage ratio at 30 September 2021 would be 5.8% (30 June 2021 –
6.1%, 31 December 2020 – 6.3%). |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 30

Risk and capital management

Capital, liquidity and funding risk continued

Capital flow statement

The table below analyses the movement in CET1, AT1 and Tier 2 capital for the nine months ended 30 September 2021.

CET1 AT1 Tier 2 Total
£m £m £m £m
At 1 January 2021 31,447 4,983 5,255 41,685
Attributable profit for the period 2,516 - - 2,516
Ordinary interim dividend paid (348) - - (348)
Own credit 28 - - 28
Share capital and reserve movements in respect of employee share
schemes 41 - - 41
Directed buy back (1,231) - - (1,231)
On-market ordinary share buy back programme (750) - - (750)
Foreseeable ordinary dividends (402) - - (402)
Foreseeable pension contributions (354) - - (354)
Foreign exchange reserve (283) - - (283)
FVOCI reserve (123) - - (123)
Goodwill and intangibles deduction (65) - - (65)
Deferred tax assets (5) - - (5)
Prudential valuation adjustments 22 - - 22
New issues of capital instruments - 933 1,635 2,568
Redemption of capital instruments 150 (2,041) (1,456) (3,347)
Net dated subordinated debt instruments - - 76 76
Foreign exchange movements - - 26 26
Adjustment under IFRS 9 transitional arrangements (774) - - (774)
Other movements (7) - (14) (21)
At 30 September 2021 29,862 3,875 5,522 39,259

| ● | CET1 decrease is primarily due to the impact of the directed buy back
and associated pension contribution of £1.2 billion, foreseeable dividends
and pension contributions of £0.8 billion, a £0.8
billion decrease in the IFRS 9 transitional adjustment and other reserve
movements. This is partially offset by an attributable profit in the period.
At H1 2021, an on-market ordinary share buy back programme of £750 million
was announced resulting in a foreseeable charge to capital, of which £288
million has been executed in the third quarter with the remaining £462
million remaining foreseeable at 30 September 2021. |
| --- | --- |
| ● | AT1 reflects the £400 million 4.5% Reset
Perpetual Subordinated Contingent Convertible Notes issued in March 2021 and $750 million 4.600% Reset Perpetual Subordinated Contingent Convertible notes
in June 2021. It also reflects a $2.7 billion redemption of 8.625% Perpetual
Subordinated Contingent Convertible Additional notes in August 2021. |
| ● | The Tier 2 movement is primarily due to the redemption of own debt of
£1.5 billion in March 2021, a £1.0 billion issuance of subordinated Tier 2
notes in May 2021 and a €750 million issuance of subordinated Tier 2 notes in
September 2021. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 31

Risk and capital management

Capital, liquidity and funding risk continued

Risk-weighted assets

The table below analyses the movement in RWAs during the period, by key drivers.

Credit risk Counterparty — credit risk Market risk Operational — risk Total
£bn £bn £bn £bn £bn
At 1 January 2021 129.9 9.1 9.4 21.9 170.3
Foreign exchange movement (0.8) (0.1) - - (0.9)
Business movement (4.0) (0.4) 1.9 (0.9) (3.4)
Risk parameter changes (1) (1.4) (0.1) - - (1.5)
Model updates (0.4) - (3.3) - (3.7)
Other movements (2) (0.8) - - - (0.8)
Acquisitions and disposals (3) (0.2) - - - (0.2)
At 30 September 2021 122.3 8.5 8.0 21.0 159.8

The table below analyses segmental RWAs.

Retail Private Commercial International Banking & Markets — RBS NatWest Ulster Central — items &
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI other Total
Total RWAs £bn £bn £bn £bn £bn £bn £bn £bn
At 1 January 2021 36.7 10.9 75.1 7.5 26.9 11.8 1.4 170.3
Foreign exchange movement - - (0.3) - (0.2) (0.4) - (0.9)
Business movement - 0.5 (6.5) 0.7 2.2 (0.7) 0.4 (3.4)
Risk parameter changes (1) (0.1) - (0.8) (0.1) (0.1) (0.5) 0.1 (1.5)
Model updates - - (0.4) - (3.3) - - (3.7)
Other movements (2) - - (0.7) - (0.1) - - (0.8)
Acquisitions and disposals (3) - - - - - (0.2) - (0.2)
At 30 September 2021 36.6 11.4 66.4 8.1 25.4 10.0 1.9 159.8
Credit risk 29.4 10.0 58.1 7.1 6.7 9.1 1.9 122.3
Counterparty credit risk 0.2 0.1 0.3 - 7.9 - - 8.5
Market risk - - - - 8.0 - - 8.0
Operational risk 7.0 1.3 8.0 1.0 2.8 0.9 - 21.0
Total RWAs 36.6 11.4 66.4 8.1 25.4 10.0 1.9 159.8

| (1) | Risk parameter changes
relate to changes in credit quality metrics of customers and counterparties
(such as probability of default and loss given default) as well as internal
ratings based model changes relating to counterparty credit risk in line with
European Banking Authority Pillar 3 Guidelines. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | The movements in other
include the following: a. RWA benefit of £0.8 billion as a result of the CRR
COVID-19 amendment for Infrastructure Supporting Factor. b. Asset transfers from NatWest
Markets to Commercial. |
| (3) | The movement in acquisitions &
disposals reflected a portfolio sale of non-performing loans in Ulster Bank
RoI. |

● Total RWAs decreased to £159.8 billion during the period due to the following: o Credit risk RWAs decreased by £7.6 billion due to repayments and expired facilities in Commercial Banking and reductions in business lending and mortgages in Ulster Bank RoI in line with the announced phased withdrawal. o Operational risk RWAs decreased by £0.9 billion following the annual recalculation in Q1 2021. o Counterparty credit risk RWAs reduced by £0.6 billion, mainly reflecting reduced IMM exposures in NatWest Markets. o Market Risk RWAs decreased by £1.4 billion primarily driven by a decrease in modelled market risk reflecting a reduction in tenor basis risk in sterling flow rates, related to the transition from LIBOR to alternative risk-free rates.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 32

Risk and capital management

Capital, liquidity and funding risk continued

Liquidity portfolio

The table below shows the liquidity portfolio by product, with primary liquidity aligned to internal stressed outflow coverage and regulatory liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) categorisation. Secondary liquidity comprises assets eligible for discount at central banks, which do not form part of the liquid asset portfolio for LCR or internal stressed outflow coverage purposes.

Liquidity value — 30 September 2021 30 June 2021 31 December 2020
NatWest NatWest NatWest
Group (1) Group Group
£m £m £m
Cash and balances at central banks 161,763 148,904 115,820
AAA to AA- rated governments 25,699 34,639 50,901
A+ and lower rated governments 40 38 79
Government guaranteed issuers, public sector entities and
government sponsored
entities 265 265 272
International organisations and multilateral
development banks 3,027 3,175 3,140
LCR level 1 bonds 29,031 38,117 54,392
LCR level 1 assets 190,794 187,021 170,212
LCR level 2 assets 118 116 124
Non-LCR eligible assets - - -
Primary liquidity 190,912 187,137 170,336
Secondary liquidity (2) 86,856 89,909 91,985
Total liquidity value 277,768 277,046 262,321

| (1) | NatWest
Group includes the UK Domestic Liquidity Sub-Group (NWB Plc, RBS plc, Coutts
& Co and Ulster Bank Limited), NatWest Markets Plc and other significant
operating subsidiaries that hold liquidity portfolios. These include The
Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited, NWM N.V. and Ulster Bank
Ireland DAC who hold managed portfolios that comply with local regulations
that may differ from PRA rules. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Comprises
assets eligible for discounting at the Bank of England and other central
banks. |
| (3) | Following
a change in methodology in our internal stressed outflow coverage metric,
cash placed at Central Bank of Ireland within UBIDAC is now reported in the liquidity
portfolio |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 33

Condensed consolidated income statement for the period ended 30 September 2021 (unaudited)

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m £m £m
Interest receivable 7,166 7,702 2,384 2,433 2,512
Interest payable (1,296) (1,924) (430) (448) (586)
Net interest income 5,870 5,778 1,954 1,985 1,926
Fees and commissions receivable 1,982 2,081 670 665 651
Fees and commissions payable (425) (591) (140) (144) (199)
Income from trading activities 326 1,054 95 71 252
Other operating income 340 (61) 195 83 (207)
Non-interest income 2,223 2,483 820 675 497
Total income 8,093 8,261 2,774 2,660 2,423
Staff costs (2,794) (2,937) (892) (917) (982)
Premises and equipment (765) (902) (263) (254) (251)
Other administrative expenses (1,291) (1,081) (588) (326) (385)
Depreciation and amortisation (613) (644) (199) (209) (196)
Operating expenses (5,463) (5,564) (1,942) (1,706) (1,814)
Profit before impairment releases/(losses) 2,630 2,697 832 954 609
Impairment releases/(losses) 949 (3,112) 242 605 (254)
Operating profit/(loss) before tax 3,579 (415) 1,074 1,559 355
Tax (charge)/credit (765) 1 (330) (202) (207)
Profit/(loss) for the period 2,814 (414) 744 1,357 148
Attributable to:
Ordinary shareholders 2,516 (644) 674 1,222 61
Preference shareholders 14 21 5 4 5
Paid-in equity holders 241 272 63 91 80
Non-controlling interests 43 (63) 2 40 2
2,814 (414) 744 1,357 148
Earnings per ordinary share 21.5p (5.3p) 5.8p 10.6p 0.5p
Earnings per ordinary share - fully diluted 21.4p (5.3p) 5.8p 10.5p 0.5p

(1) Other operating income includes £138 million loss on redemption of own debt for the nine months ended 30 September 2021; Q3 2021 - £nil million (nine months ended 30 September 2020 - £324 million loss; Q2 2021 - £20 million loss; Q3 2020 - £324 million loss).

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 34

Condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the period ended 30 September 2021 (unaudited)

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m £m £m
Profit/(loss) for the period 2,814 (414) 744 1,357 148
Items that do not qualify for reclassification
Remeasurement of retirement benefit schemes (1) (740) 54 (6) (226) (14)
Changes in fair value of credit in financial liabilities
designated at fair value through profit
or loss (FVTPL)
due to own credit risk (29) 20 (4) (18) (63)
Fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI)
financial assets 11 (43) 3 7 77
Tax (1) 185 13 3 45 13
(573) 44 (4) (192) 13
Items that do qualify for reclassification
FVOCI financial assets (145) (37) - (27) 74
Cash flow hedges (610) 364 (245) (7) (53)
Currency translation (267) 425 21 55 (150)
Tax 130 (85) 65 (48) 94
(892) 667 (159) (27) (35)
Other comprehensive (loss)/income after tax (1,465) 711 (163) (219) (22)
Total comprehensive income for the period 1,349 297 581 1,138 126
Attributable to:
Ordinary shareholders 1,047 51 512 998 37
Preference shareholders 14 21 5 4 5
Paid-in equity holders 241 272 63 91 80
Non-controlling interests 47 (47) 1 45 4
1,349 297 581 1,138 126

(1) Following the purchase of ordinary shares from UKGI in March 2021, NatWest Group contributed £500 million to its main pension scheme in line with the memorandum of understanding announced on 17 April 2018. After tax relief, this contribution reduced total equity by £365 million. There was also a pre tax loss of £176 million (€205 million) in relation to the interim re-measurement of the Ulster Bank Pension Scheme (Republic of Ireland), as a result of significant movements in underlying actuarial assumptions (June 2020: net gain of £90 million (€101 million)). In line with our policy, the present value of defined benefit obligations and the fair value of plan assets at the end of the interim reporting period, are assessed to identity significant market fluctuations and one-off events since the end of the prior financial year.

.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 35

Condensed consolidated balance sheet as at 30 September 2021 (unaudited)

30 September 31 December
2021 2020
£m £m
Assets
Cash and balances at central banks 164,851 124,489
Trading assets 66,357 68,990
Derivatives 103,770 166,523
Settlement balances 8,140 2,297
Loans to banks - amortised cost 9,251 6,955
Loans to customers - amortised cost 361,022 360,544
Other financial assets 47,000 55,148
Intangible assets 6,723 6,655
Other assets 11,164 7,890
Total assets 778,278 799,491
Liabilities
Bank deposits 17,375 20,606
Customer deposits 476,319 431,739
Settlement balances 7,792 5,545
Trading liabilities 70,946 72,256
Derivatives 98,560 160,705
Other financial liabilities 47,857 45,811
Subordinated liabilities 8,675 9,962
Notes in circulation 3,037 2,655
Other liabilities 5,830 6,388
Total liabilities 736,391 755,667
Equity
Ordinary shareholders' interests 37,492 38,367
Other owners' interests 4,384 5,493
Owners’ equity 41,876 43,860
Non-controlling interests 11 (36)
Total equity 41,887 43,824
Total liabilities and equity 778,278 799,491

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 36

Condensed consolidated statement of changes in equity for the period ended 30 September 2021 (unaudited)

Share
capital and Total Non
statutory Paid-in Retained Other owners' controlling Total
reserves (1) equity earnings reserves* equity interests equity
£m £m £m £m £m £m £m
At 1 January 2021 13,216 4,999 12,567 13,078 43,860 (36) 43,824
Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders
and other equity owners - - 2,771 - 2,771 43 2,814
Other comprehensive income
- Realised gains/(losses) in period
on FVOCI equity shares - - 2 (2) - - -
- Remeasurement of retirement
benefit schemes (2) - - (740) - (740) - (740)
- Changes in fair value of credit in
financial
liabilities designated at FVTPL due
to own credit risk - - (29) - (29) - (29)
- Unrealised losses: FVOCI and equity
shares - - - (65) (65) - (65)
- Unrealised losses: cash flow hedges - - - (501) (501) - (501)
- Foreign exchange reserve movement - - - (271) (271) 4 (267)
- Amount transferred from equity to
earnings - - - (178) (178) - (178)
- Tax - - 187 128 315 - 315
Ordinary share dividends paid - - (693) - (693) - (693)
Preference share and paid-in equity
dividends paid - - (255) - (255) - (255)
Shares repurchased during the period (3,4) - - (1,036) - (1,036) - (1,036)
Shares and securities issued during the period (5) 87 937 - - 1,024 - 1,024
Reclassification of paid-in equity (6) - (2,046) - - (2,046) - (2,046)
Redemption of paid-in equity (7) - - 150 - 150 - 150
Redemption of preference shares 24 - (24) - - - -
Share-based payments - - (65) - (65) - (65)
Movement in own shares held (3) (365) - - - (365) - (365)
At 30 September 2021 12,962 3,890 12,835 12,189 41,876 11 41,887
30 September
2021
Attributable to: £m
Ordinary shareholders 37,492
Preference shareholders 494
Paid-in equity holders 3,890
Non-controlling interests 11
41,887
*Other reserves consists of:
Merger reserve 10,881
FVOCI reserve 237
Cash flow hedging reserve (254)
Foreign exchange reserve 1,325
12,189

| (1) | Share capital and statutory reserves includes share
premium, capital redemption reserve and own shares held. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Following the purchase of ordinary shares from UKGI in
March 2021, NatWest Group contributed £500 million to its main pension scheme
in line with the memorandum of understanding announced on 17 April 2018.
After tax relief, this contribution reduced total equity by £365 million.
There was also a pre tax loss of £176 million (€205 million) in relation to
the interim re-measurement of the Ulster Bank Pension Scheme (Republic of
Ireland), as a result of significant movements in underlying actuarial
assumptions (June 2020: net gain of £90 million (€101 million)). In line with
our policy, the present value of defined benefit obligations and the fair
value of plan assets at the end of the interim reporting period, are assessed
to identity significant market fluctuations and one-off events since the end
of the prior financial year. |
| (3) | In March 2021, there was an agreement with HM Treasury to
buy 591 million ordinary shares in the Company from UK Government Investments
Ltd (UKGI), at 190.5p per share for the total consideration of £1.13 billion.
NatWest Group cancelled 391 million of the purchased ordinary shares,
amounting to £744 million excluding fees, and held the remaining 200 million
in own shares held, amounting to £381 million excluding fees. The nominal
value of the share cancellation has been transferred to the capital redemption
reserve. |
| (4) | In line with the announcement in July 2021, NatWest Group
plc repurchased and cancelled 137.1 million shares for total consideration of
£292.2 million excluding fees. Of the 137.1 million shares bought back, 2.9
million shares were settled and cancelled in October 2021. The nominal value
of the share cancellations has been transferred to the capital redemption
reserve with the share premium element to retained earnings. |
| (5) | AT1 capital notes totalling US$750 million less fees were issued
in June 2021 (£400 million less fees were issued in March 2021 and US$1.49
billion less fees were issued in June 2020). |
| (6) | In July 2021, paid-in equity reclassified to liabilities as
the result of a call in August 2021 of US$2.65 billion AT1 Capital notes. |
| (7) | The redemption of paid-in equity includes a tax credit of
£16 million. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 37

Notes

| 1. Basis of preparation The condensed consolidated
financial statements should be read in conjunction with NatWest Group plc
2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F which were prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standards in
conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. |
| --- |
| Going concern Having reviewed NatWest
Group’s forecasts, projections, the potential impact of COVID-19, and other
relevant evidence, the directors have a reasonable expectation that NatWest
Group will continue in operational existence for a period of not less than
twelve months. Accordingly, the results for the period ended 30 September
2021 have been prepared on a going concern basis. |
| 2. Accounting policies NatWest Group’s principal accounting
policies are as set out on pages 263 to 267 of the NatWest Group plc 2020
Annual Report on Form 20-F. Changes to accounting policies from 1 January
2021 had no material effect on NatWest Group plc’s accounts. |
| Critical accounting policies and key
sources of estimation uncertainty The judgements and assumptions that are
considered to be the most important to the portrayal of NatWest Group’s
financial condition are those relating to deferred tax, fair value of financial
instruments, loan impairment provisions, goodwill and provisions for
liabilities and charges. These critical accounting policies and judgements
are referenced on page 267 of the NatWest Group plc 2020 Annual Report on
Form 20-F. Estimation uncertainty has been af fected by
the COVID-19 pandemic . Management’s consideration
of this source of uncertainty is outlined in the relevant sections of NatWest
Group plc 2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F, including the ECL estimate for the
period in the Risk and capital management section contained in the NatWest
Group plc 2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F. |
| It was announced in the UK Government’s Budget on 27
October 2021 that the UK banking surcharge will decrease from 8% to 3% from 1
April 2023. This change is expected to be enacted in 2022. The resulting
change to the net deferred tax asset position in NatWest Group is not
expected to be material. |
| Information used for significant
estimates The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to
cause significant economic and social disruption. Key financial estimates are based on
a range of anticipated future economic conditions described by internally
developed scenarios. Measurement
of goodwill, deferred tax and expected credit losses are highly sensitive to reasonably
possible changes in those anticipated conditions. Other reasonably possible
assumptions about the future include a prolonged financial effect of the
COVID-19 pandemic on the economy of the UK and other countries. Changes in
judgements and assumptions could result in a material adjustment to those
estimates in the next reporting periods, refer to the NatWest Group plc Risk
factors in the 2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F . |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 38

Notes

| 3. Litigation and regulatory matters NatWest
Group plc's Interim Results 2021, issued on 30 July 2021, included
disclosures about NatWest Group's litigation and regulatory matters in Note 12.
Set out below are the material developments in those matters since
publication of the Interim Results 2021. |
| --- |
| Litigation Residential
mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) litigation in the US The State of New Mexico, on
behalf of certain state agencies, has been pursuing claims in New Mexico
state court against NWMSI concerning certain historical RMBS offerings that
allegedly involved materially false or misleading statements and/or omissions
regarding the underwriting standards pursuant to which the mortgage loans
underlying the RMBS were issued. NWMSI has reached an agreement in principle
to settle this matter for an amount that is covered by an existing provision. |
| London
Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and other rates litigation On 30
September 2021, the United States District Court for the Southern District of
New York dismissed all claims against NWM Plc and other NatWest Group
companies in the class action alleging that manipulation of JPY LIBOR and
Euroyen TIBOR impacted the price of derivatives allegedly tied to those
rates, finding a lack of antitrust standing and personal
jurisdiction. The dismissal may be the subject of a future appeal. |
| Madoff NWM N.V. is a defendant in two actions filed by the trustee for the bankruptcy estates of Bernard L. Madoff and Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, in bankruptcy court in New York, which together seek to clawback more than US$298 million in redemptions that NWM N.V. allegedly received from certain Madoff feeder funds and certain swap counterparties. In these and similar cases pending against other defendants, the bankruptcy court previously held that, in order to proceed to discovery and pursue its claims, the trustee had to allege that a defendant lacked “good faith” when it received the funds in question. In August 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in similar cases against other defendants, reversed the bankruptcy court’s ruling on this question, holding instead that if a defendant wishes to rely on “good faith” arguments, it is a matter for the defendant to prove in their defence. The trustee’s actions against NWM N.V. will proceed in light of the appellate court’s ruling. |
| Odd lot corporate bond trading
antitrust litigation On 25 October 2021, the United States District Court for the
Southern District of New York granted, on several grounds, defendants’ motion
to dismiss the class action complaint alleging that from August 2006 onwards
various securities dealers, including NWMSI, conspired artificially to widen
spreads for odd lots of corporate bonds bought or sold in the United States
secondary market and to boycott electronic trading platforms that would have
allegedly promoted pricing competition in the market for such bonds. The
dismissal is subject to appeal. |
| Regulatory
matters US investigations relating to
fixed-income securities In
October 2017, NWMSI entered into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the United
States Attorney for the District of Connecticut (USAO) in connection with
alleged misrepresentations to counterparties relating to secondary trading in
various forms of asset-backed securities. In the NPA, the USAO agreed not to
file criminal charges relating to certain conduct and information described
in the NPA, conditional on NWMSI and affiliated companies complying with the
NPA’s reporting and conduct requirements during its term, including by not
engaging in conduct during the NPA that the
USAO determines was a felony under federal or state law or a violation of the
anti-fraud provisions of the United States securities law. |
| The
NatWest Markets business is currently responding to a separate criminal
investigation by the USAO and the US Department of Justice (DoJ) concerning
unrelated trading by certain NWM Plc and NWMSI former traders involving alleged spoofing. The NPA
(referred to above) has been extended as the criminal investigation has
progressed and related discussions with the USAO and the DoJ, including
relating to the impact of such alleged conduct on the status of the NPA and
the potential consequences thereof, have been ongoing. On 30 August 2021,
NWMSI received a letter from USAO stating that it had determined that NWMSI
had materially breached the NPA as a result of the alleged spoofing activity
and that NWMSI is subject to prosecution for securities fraud in respect of
the conduct underlying the NPA. NatWest Markets is engaging in discussions
with the U.S. government about the resolution of the alleged spoofing
activity investigation and the USAO’s determination of the breach of the NPA,
including why criminal prosecution of the conduct underlying the NPA should
not be pursued. |
| The
precise duration and outcome of this matter remains uncertain. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 39

Notes

| 3. Litigation
and regulatory matters continued Adverse outcomes or
resolution of current or future legal or regulatory actions (in particular, a
finding of criminal liability in this matter) could have material collateral
consequences for NatWest Group’s business and result in restrictions or
limitations on NatWest Group’s operations. |
| --- |
| These may include the
effective or actual disqualification from carrying on certain regulated
activities and consequences resulting from the need to reapply for various
important licences or obtain waivers to conduct certain existing activities
of NatWest Group, particularly but not solely in the US, which may take a
significant period of time and the results of which are uncertain.
Disqualification from carrying on any activities, whether automatic as a
result of the resolution of a particular matter or as a result of the failure
to obtain such licences or waivers could adversely impact NatWest Group’s
business, in particular in the US. This in turn and/or any fines, settlement
payments or penalties could adversely impact NatWest Group’s reported
financial results and condition, capital position or reputation. |
| FCA
investigation into NatWest Group’s compliance with the Money Laundering
Regulations 2007 In July 2017, the FCA
notified NatWest Group that it was undertaking an investigation into NatWest
Group’s compliance with the UK Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (“MLR 2007”)
in relation to certain money service businesses and related parties. |
| In March 2021, the FCA
notified NatWest Group that it had commenced criminal proceedings against NWB
Plc for three offences under regulation 45(1) of the MLR 2007 arising from
the handling of the accounts of a UK incorporated customer. |
| On 7 October 2021, NWB Plc
pleaded guilty to the three offences under regulation 45(1) of the MLR 2007
for failure to comply with regulation 8(1) of the MLR 2007 between 7 November
2013 and 23 June 2016 and 8(3) and 14(1) of the MLR 2007 between 8 November
2012 and 23 June 2016. |
| These regulations required
the firm to determine and conduct risk sensitive due diligence and ongoing
monitoring of its customers for the purposes of preventing money laundering.
The offences relate to operational weaknesses between 2012 and 2016, during
which period NWB Plc did not adequately monitor the accounts of that
customer. |
| NWB Plc has cooperated fully
with the FCA since its investigation began. The FCA has confirmed it will not
take action against any individual current or former employee of NWB Plc. |
| The case has been remitted
to the Crown Court for sentencing, which will be determined at a hearing
scheduled to take place on a date to be determined by the Crown Court. NWB
Plc made a provision at 30 September 2021 in anticipation of a potential fine
being imposed at that hearing, but is not disclosing the amount as it remains
the matter of ongoing judicial proceedings. In addition to the fine,
other material adverse collateral consequences may occur as a result of these
convictions. |
| Review and
investigation of treatment of tracker mortgage customers in Ulster Bank
Ireland DAC In December 2015,
correspondence was received from the CBI setting out an industry examination
framework in respect of the sale of tracker mortgages from approximately 2001
until the end of 2015. The redress and compensation phase has concluded,
although an appeals process is currently anticipated to run until at least
the end of 2021. NatWest Group has made provisions totalling €350 million (£300
million), of which €332 million (£285 million) had been utilised by 30
September 2021 in respect of redress and compensation. |
| UBIDAC previously
identified further legacy business issues, as an extension to the tracker
mortgage review. These remediation programmes are ongoing. NatWest Group has
made provisions of €163 million (£140 million), of which €155 million (£133
million) had been utilised by 30 September 2021 for these programmes. |
| UBIDAC customers continue
to lodge tracker mortgage complaints with the Financial Services and Pensions
Ombudsman (FSPO). UBIDAC is challenging two recent FSPO adjudications in the
Irish High Court. The outcome and impact of that challenge on those and
related complaints is uncertain but potentially may be material. |
| 4. Post balance sheet events Other than as disclosed
there have been no significant events between 30 September 2021 and the date
of approval of these accounts that would require a change to or additional
disclosure in the condensed consolidated financial statements. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 40

Additional information

Other financial data

The following table shows NatWest Group’s issued and fully paid share capital, owners’ equity and indebtedness on a consolidated basis in accordance with IFRS as at 30 September 2021.

30 September
2021
£m
Share capital
- allotted, called up and fully paid
Ordinary shares of £1 11,642
Retained income and other
reserves 30,245
Owners’ equity 41,887
NatWest Group
indebtedness
Trading liabilities - debt
securities in issue 1,007
Other financial liabilities
– debt securities in issue 47,129
Subordinated liabilities 8,675
Total indebtedness 56,811
Total capitalisation and
indebtedness 98,698

Under IFRS, certain preference shares are classified as debt and are included in subordinated liabilities in the table above.

The information contained in the table above has not changed materially since 30 September 2021.

Year ended 31 December
Three months
ended and as at
30 September
2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Return on average total
assets (1) 0.4% (0.1%) 0.4% 0.2% 0.1% (0.8%)
Return
on average ordinary shareholders’ equity (2) 8.8% (2.0%) 7.9% 4.0% 1.9% (15.3%)
Average total equity as a
percentage of average total assets 5.7% 5.4% 6.2% 7.2% 7.0% 6.2%
Dividend payout ratio 27.5% - 96.3% 14.9% - -

| (1) | Return on average total assets represents profit
attributable to ordinary shareholders as a percentage of average total assets |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | Return
on average ordinary shareholders’ equity represents profit attributable to
ordinary shareholders as a percentage of average ordinary shareholders’
equity |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 41

Appendix

RBS\Finance\0000012\Secret

Non-IFRS financial measures

Appendix – Non–IFRS financial measures

NatWest Group prepares its financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). This document contains a number of adjusted or alternative performance measures, also known as non-GAAP or non-IFRS performance measures. These measures are adjusted for notable and other defined items which management believe are not representative of the underlying performance of the business and which distort period-on-period comparison. The non-IFRS measures provide users of the financial statements with a consistent basis for comparing business performance between financial periods and information on elements of performance that are one-off in nature. The non-IFRS measures also include the calculation of metrics that are used throughout the banking industry. These non-IFRS measures are not measures within the scope of IFRS and are not a substitute for IFRS measures. These measures include:

Non-IFRS financial measures

Measure Basis of preparation Additional analysis or reconciliation
NatWest Group return on tangible equity Annualised profit or loss for the period attributable to
ordinary shareholders divided by average tangible equity. Average tangible
equity is average total equity excluding non-controlling interests (NCI) less
average intangible assets and average other owners’ equity. Table 1
Segmental return on equity Segmental operating profit or loss adjusted for
preference share dividends and tax divided by average notional tangible
equity, allocated at an operating segment specific rate, of the period
average segmental risk-weighted assets incorporating the effect of capital
deductions (RWAes). Table 2
Operating expenses analysis – management view The management analysis of operating expenses shows
strategic costs and litigation and conduct costs in separate lines.
Depreciation and amortisation, and other administrative expenses attributable
to these costs are included in strategic costs and litigation and conduct
costs lines for management analysis. These amounts are included in staff,
premises and equipment and other administrative expenses in the statutory
analysis. Table 3
Cost:income ratio Total
operating expenses less operating lease depreciation divided by total income
less operating lease depreciation. Table 4
Net interest margin (NIM) Net interest income as a
percentage of average interest-earning assets. Table
5
Bank NIM Net interest income of
the banking business less NatWest Markets (NWM) element as a percentage of
interest-earning assets of the banking business less NWM element. Table 5
Bank NIM excluding Liquid Asset Buffer Net interest income of
the banking business less NWM element as a percentage of interest-earning
assets of the banking business less NWM element and Liquid Asset Buffer. Table 5
Income across UK and RBSI
retail and commercial businesses excluding notable items Comprises income in the Retail Banking,
Commercial Banking, Private Banking and RBS International operating segments,
excluding notable items. Table 7
Net lending in the UK and RBSI
retail and commercial businesses excluding UK Government support schemes Comprises customer loans in the Retail Banking,
Commercial Banking, Private Banking and RBS International operating segments,
excluding UK Government support schemes. Table 8
Customer deposits across UK and RBSI retail and commercial
businesses Comprises customer deposits in the Retail
Banking, Commercial Banking, Private Banking and RBS International operating
segments. Table 9
Other expenses excluding operating lease depreciation (OLD)
and Ulster Bank RoI direct costs. Total
operating expenses less strategic, litigation and conduct costs, operating
lease depreciation and Ulster Bank RoI direct costs. Table
10
Commentary – adjusted periodically for specific items NatWest Group and segmental business performance
commentary have been adjusted for the impact of specific items such as
notable items, operating lease depreciation, strategic costs and litigation
and conduct costs. Notable
items - page 8, Operating lease depreciation, Strategic
costs and litigation and conduct costs - pages 16 to 20.

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 1

Appendix – Non–IFRS financial measures

Performance metrics based on but not defined under IFRS

Measure Basis of preparation Additional analysis or reconciliation
Loan:deposit ratio Net
customer loans held at amortised cost divided by total customer deposits. Table 6
Tangible net asset value (TNAV) Tangible
equity divided by the number of ordinary shares in issue (excluding own
shares held). Tangible equity is ordinary shareholders’ equity less
intangible assets. Page 7
Funded assets Total
assets less derivatives. Pages 7, 14 and
16 to 20
Loan impairment rate The
annualised loan impairment charge divided by gross customer loans. Pages 7 , 10 to 13, and 15 to 20
Third party customer asset rate Third
party customer asset rate is calculated as annualised interest payable or
receivable on third-party loans to customers as a percentage of third-party
loans to customers, including those reported as assets held for sale. This
excludes intragroup items, loans to banks and liquid asset portfolios, which
are included for the calculation of net interest margin. Pages 16 to 20
Third party customer funding rate Third
party customer funding rate is calculated as annualised interest payable or receivable
on third-party customer deposits as a percentage of third-party customer
deposits, including interest bearing and non-interest bearing customer
deposits. Intragroup items, bank deposits, debt securities in issue and
subordinated liabilities are excluded for customer funding rate calculation. Pages 16 to 20
Assets under management and administration (AUMA) AUMA
comprises both assets under management (AUMs) and assets under administration
(AUAs) serviced through the Private Banking franchise. AUMs
comprise assets where the investment management is undertaken by Private
Banking on behalf of Private Banking, Retail Banking and RBSI customers. AUAs
comprise third party assets held on an execution-only basis in custody by
Private Banking, Retail Banking and RBSI for their customers accordingly, for
which the execution services are supported by Private Banking. Private
Banking receive a fee in respect of providing investment management and
execution services to Retail Banking and RBSI franchises. Pages 7 and 11
Depositary assets Assets
held by RBSI as an independent trustee and in a depositary service capacity. Page 13

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 2

Appendix Non-IFRS financial measures

1. Return on tangible equity

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
Profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders (£m) 2,516 (644) 674 1,222 61
Annualised profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary
shareholders (£m) 3,355 (859) 2,696 4,888 244
Average total equity excluding NCI (£m) 42,978 43,766 42,507 43,011 43,145
Adjustment for other owners' equity and intangibles (£m) (11,525) (11,760) (10,881) (11,712) (11,482)
Adjusted total tangible equity (£m) 31,453 32,006 31,626 31,299 31,663
Return on tangible equity (%) 10.7% (2.7%) 8.5% 15.6% 0.8%

2. Segmental return on equity

Retail Private Commercial International Banking & Markets — RBS NatWest Ulster
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI
Nine months ended 30 September 2021 £m £m £m £m £m £m
Operating profit/(loss) (£m) 1,583 240 1,964 260 (409) 31
Preference share cost allocation (£m) (60) (15) (114) (15) (47) -
Adjustment for tax (£m) (426) (63) (518) (43) 128 -
Adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 1,097 162 1,332 202 (328) 31
Annualised adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 1,463 216 1,776 269 (437) 41
Average RWAe (£bn) 35.7 11.1 70.6 7.7 28.8 10.8
Equity factor 14.5% 12.5% 11.5% 16.0% 15.0% 15.5%
RWAe applying equity factor (£bn) 5.2 1.4 8.1 1.2 4.3 1.7
Return on equity 28.3% 15.5% 21.9% 21.9% (10.1%) 2.5%
Nine months ended 30 September 2020
Operating profit (£m) 758 141 (684) 112 3 (244)
Preference share cost allocation (£m) (66) (17) (114) (15) (51) -
Adjustment for tax (£m) (194) (35) 223 (14) 13 -
Adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 498 89 (575) 83 (35) (244)
Annualised adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 664 119 (767) 111 (47) (325)
Average RWAe (£bn) 37.6 10.3 76.6 6.9 39.2 12.6
Equity factor 14.5% 12.5% 11.5% 16.0% 15.0% 15.5%
RWAe applying equity factor (£bn) 5.5 1.3 8.8 1.1 5.9 2.0
Return on equity 12.2% 9.2% (8.7%) 10.0% (0.8%) (16.6%)

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 3

Appendix Non-IFRS financial measures

2. Segmental return on equity continued

Retail Private Commercial International Banking & Markets — RBS NatWest Ulster
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI
Quarter ended 30 September 2021 £m £m £m £m £m £m
Operating profit/(loss) (£m) 563 94 625 87 (160) 38
Preference share cost allocation (£m) (20) (5) (38) (5) (16) -
Adjustment for tax (£m) (152) (25) (164) (14) 49 -
Adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 391 64 423 68 (127) 38
Annualised adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 1,564 256 1,692 272 (508) 152
Average RWAe (£bn) 36.1 11.3 67.6 7.8 27.9 10.2
Equity factor 14.5% 12.5% 11.5% 16.0% 15.0% 15.5%
RWAe applying equity factor (£bn) 5.2 1.4 7.8 1.3 4.2 1.6
Return on equity 29.9% 18.1% 21.7% 21.6% (12.1%) 9.6%
Quarter ended 30 June 2021
Operating profit/(loss) (£m) 585 82 864 105 (169) (18)
Preference share cost allocation (£m) (20) (5) (38) (5) (15) -
Adjustment for tax (£m) (158) (22) (231) (18) 52 -
Adjusted attributable profit/(loss)(£m) 407 55 595 83 (132) (18)
Annualised adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 1,628 220 2,380 332 (528) (72)
Average RWAe (£bn) 35.1 11.1 70.6 7.8 29.2 10.8
Equity factor 14.5% 12.5% 11.5% 16.0% 15.0% 15.5%
RWAe applying equity factor (£bn) 5.1 1.4 8.1 1.2 4.4 1.7
Return on equity 32.0% 15.9% 29.3% 26.5% (12.1%) (4.3%)
Quarter ended 30 September 2020
Operating profit/(loss) (£m) 305 57 324 25 (66) (5)
Preference share cost allocation (£m) (22) (6) (38) (5) (17) -
Adjustment for tax (£m) (79) (14) (80) (3) 23 -
Adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 204 37 206 17 (60) (5)
Annualised adjusted attributable profit/(loss) (£m) 816 148 824 68 (240) (20)
Average RWAe (£bn) 36.7 10.5 77.8 6.8 34.0 12.3
Equity factor 14.5% 12.5% 11.5% 16.0% 15.0% 15.5%
RWAe applying equity factor (£bn) 5.3 1.3 8.9 1.1 5.1 1.9
Return on equity 15.3% 11.2% 9.2% 6.4% (4.7%) (1.0%)

3. Operating expenses analysis

| Statutory
analysis (1,2) | | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | Nine months ended | | Quarter ended | | |
| | 30 September | 30 September | 30 September | 30 June | 30 September |
| | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Operating expenses | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m |
| Staff costs | 2,794 | 2,937 | 892 | 917 | 982 |
| Premises and equipment | 765 | 902 | 263 | 254 | 251 |
| Other administrative expenses | 1,291 | 1,081 | 588 | 326 | 385 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 613 | 644 | 199 | 209 | 196 |
| Total operating expenses | 5,463 | 5,564 | 1,942 | 1,706 | 1,814 |

| (1) | On a statutory, or GAAP, basis strategic
costs are included within staff costs, premises and equipment, depreciation
and amortisation and other administrative expenses. Strategic costs relate to
restructuring provisions, related costs and projects that are
transformational in nature. |
| --- | --- |
| (2) | On a statutory, or GAAP, basis litigation
and conduct costs are included within other administrative expenses. |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 4

Appendix Non-IFRS financial measures

3. Operating expenses analysis continued

| Non-statutory
analysis | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | Nine months ended | | | |
| | 30 September 2021 | | | |
| | | Litigation | | |
| | | and | | Statutory |
| | Strategic | conduct | Other | operating |
| Operating expenses | costs | costs | expenses | expenses |
| Staff costs | 289 | - | 2,505 | 2,794 |
| Premises and equipment | 30 | - | 735 | 765 |
| Other administrative expenses | 68 | 276 | 947 | 1,291 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 22 | - | 591 | 613 |
| Total | 409 | 276 | 4,778 | 5,463 |
| | Nine months ended | | | |
| | 30 September 2020 | | | |
| | | Litigation | | |
| | | and | | Statutory |
| | Strategic | conduct | Other | operating |
| Operating expenses | costs | costs | expenses | expenses |
| Staff costs | 315 | - | 2,622 | 2,937 |
| Premises and equipment | 170 | - | 732 | 902 |
| Other administrative expenses | 143 | (81) | 1,019 | 1,081 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 59 | - | 585 | 644 |
| Total | 687 | (81) | 4,958 | 5,564 |
| | Quarter ended | | | |
| | 30 September 2021 | | | |
| | | Litigation | | |
| | | and | | Statutory |
| | Strategic | conduct | Other | operating |
| Operating expenses | costs | costs | expenses | expenses |
| Staff costs | 74 | - | 818 | 892 |
| Premises and equipment | (2) | - | 265 | 263 |
| Other administrative expenses | 4 | 294 | 290 | 588 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 1 | - | 198 | 199 |
| Total | 77 | 294 | 1,571 | 1,942 |
| | Quarter ended | | | |
| | 30 June 2021 | | | |
| | | Litigation | | |
| | | and | | Statutory |
| | Strategic | conduct | Other | operating |
| Operating expenses | costs | costs | expenses | expenses |
| Staff costs | 104 | - | 813 | 917 |
| Premises and equipment | 16 | - | 238 | 254 |
| Other administrative expenses | 41 | (34) | 319 | 326 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 11 | - | 198 | 209 |
| Total | 172 | (34) | 1,568 | 1,706 |
| | Quarter ended | | | |
| | 30 September 2020 | | | |
| | | Litigation | | |
| | | and | | Statutory |
| | Strategic | conduct | Other | operating |
| Operating expenses | costs | costs | expenses | expenses |
| Staff costs | 155 | - | 827 | 982 |
| Premises and equipment | 22 | - | 229 | 251 |
| Other administrative expenses | 43 | 8 | 334 | 385 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 3 | - | 193 | 196 |
| Total | 223 | 8 | 1,583 | 1,814 |

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 5

Appendix Non-IFRS performance measures

4. Cost:income ratio

Retail Private Commercial International Banking & Markets — RBS NatWest Ulster Central — items Total — NatWest
Banking Banking Banking International Markets Bank RoI & other Group
Nine months ended 30 September 2021 £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m
Operating expenses (1,739) (365) (1,708) (172) (818) (384) (277) (5,463)
Operating lease depreciation - - 106 - - - - 106
Adjusted operating expenses (1,739) (365) (1,602) (172) (818) (384) (277) (5,357)
Total income 3,281 563 2,888 392 390 388 191 8,093
Operating lease depreciation - - (106) - - - - (106)
Adjusted total income 3,281 563 2,782 392 390 388 191 7,987
Cost:income ratio 53.0% 64.8% 57.6% 43.9% 209.7% 99.0% nm 67.1%
Nine months ended 30 September 2020
Operating expenses (1,722) (364) (1,774) (179) (1,009) (372) (144) (5,564)
Operating lease depreciation - - 110 - - - - 110
Adjusted operating expenses (1,722) (364) (1,664) (179) (1,009) (372) (144) (5,454)
Total income 3,207 579 3,007 371 1,050 379 (332) 8,261
Operating lease depreciation - - (110) - - - - (110)
Adjusted total income 3,207 579 2,897 371 1,050 379 (332) 8,151
Cost:income ratio 53.7% 62.9% 57.4% 48.2% 96.1% 98.2% nm 66.9%
Quarter ended 30 September 2021 — Operating expenses (552) (116) (556) (60) (258) (123) (277) (1,942)
Operating lease depreciation - - 36 - - - - 36
Adjusted operating expenses (552) (116) (520) (60) (258) (123) (277) (1,906)
Total income 1,131 195 965 136 95 145 107 2,774
Operating lease depreciation - - (36) - - - - (36)
Adjusted total income 1,131 195 929 136 95 145 107 2,738
Cost:income ratio 48.8% 59.5% 56.0% 44.1% 271.6% 84.8% nm 69.6%
Quarter ended 30 June 2021
Operating expenses (600) (128) (569) (55) (285) (136) 67 (1,706)
Operating lease depreciation - - 35 - - - - 35
Adjusted operating expenses (600) (128) (534) (55) (285) (136) 67 (1,671)
Total income 1,094 183 982 133 106 119 43 2,660
Operating lease depreciation - - (35) - - - - (35)
Adjusted total income 1,094 183 947 133 106 119 43 2,625
Cost:income ratio 54.8% 69.9% 56.4% 41.4% 268.9% 114.3% nm 63.7%
Quarter ended 30 September 2020
Operating expenses (647) (112) (553) (53) (302) (127) (20) (1,814)
Operating lease depreciation - - 37 - - - - 37
Adjusted operating expenses (647) (112) (516) (53) (302) (127) (20) (1,777)
Total income 1,022 187 1,004 112 234 130 (266) 2,423
Operating lease depreciation - - (37) - - - - (37)
Adjusted total income 1,022 187 967 112 234 130 (266) 2,386
Cost:income ratio 63.3% 59.9% 53.4% 47.3% 129.1% 97.7% nm 74.5%

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 6

Appendix Non-IFRS performance measures

5. Net interest margin

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended or as at — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m £m £m
NatWest Group net interest income 5,870 5,778 1,954 1,985 1,926
Less NWM net interest income 4 55 1 (4) 21
Net interest income excluding NWM 5,874 5,833 1,955 1,981 1,947
Annualised NatWest Group net interest income 7,848 7,718 7,752 7,962 7,662
Annualised net interest income excluding NWM 7,854 7,792 7,756 7,946 7,746
Average interest earning assets (IEA) 525,352 487,777 537,419 526,124 508,156
Less NWM average IEA 32,397 38,403 32,497 32,263 39,213
Bank average IEA 492,955 449,374 504,922 493,861 468,943
Less liquid asset buffer average IEA (1) 162,907 131,094 173,654 163,437 144,619
Bank average IEA excluding liquid asset buffer 330,048 318,280 331,268 330,424 324,324
Net interest margin 1.49% 1.58% 1.44% 1.51% 1.51%
Bank net interest margin 1.59% 1.73% 1.54% 1.61% 1.65%
(NatWest Group NIM excluding NWM)
Bank net interest margin excluding liquid asset buffer 2.38% 2.45% 2.34% 2.40% 2.39%

(1) Liquid asset buffer consists of assets held by NatWest Group, such as cash balances at central banks and high-quality government debt securities, that can be used to ensure repayment of financial obligations as they fall due.

6. Loan:deposit ratio

As at — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m
Loans to customers - amortised cost 361,022 362,711 353,691
Customer deposits 476,319 467,214 418,358
Loan:deposit ratio (%) 76% 78% 85%

7. Income across UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses excluding notable items

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m £m £m
Retail Banking 3,281 3,207 1,131 1,094 1,022
Private Banking 563 579 195 183 187
Commercial Banking 2,888 3,007 965 982 1,004
RBS International 392 371 136 133 112
Income 7,124 7,164 2,427 2,392 2,325
Less notable items (14) 3 (4) (24) (5)
Total UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses
income excluding notable items 7,110 7,167 2,423 2,368 2,320

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 7

Appendix Non-IFRS performance measures

8. Net lending in the UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses excluding UK Government support schemes

30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Retail Banking 180.5 178.1 166.7
Private Banking 18.4 18.0 16.5
Commercial Banking 102.7 103.8 110.0
RBS International 15.6 15.1 12.8
Loans to customers 317.2 315.0 306.0
Less UK Government support schemes (12.3) (13.0) (11.3)
Total UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses
net lending excluding UK Government
support schemes 304.9 302.0 294.7

9. Customer deposits across UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses

30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2021 2020
£bn £bn £bn
Retail Banking 186.3 184.1 164.9
Private Banking 35.7 34.7 30.3
Commercial Banking 178.3 176.0 161.3
RBS International 36.9 33.9 30.4
Total UK and RBSI retail and commercial businesses customer
deposits 437.2 428.7 386.9

10. Other expenses excluding operating lease depreciation (OLD) and Ulster Bank RoI direct costs

Nine months ended — 30 September 30 September Quarter ended — 30 September 30 June 30 September
2021 2020 2021 2021 2020
£m £m £m £m £m
Operating expenses 5,463 5,564 1,942 1,706 1,814
Less strategic, litigation and conduct costs (685) (606) (371) (138) (231)
Other expenses 4,778 4,958 1,571 1,568 1,583
Less OLD (106) (110) (36) (35) (37)
Less Ulster Bank RoI direct costs (237) (215) (75) (92) (73)
Other expenses excluding OLD and
Ulster Bank RoI direct costs 4,435 4,633 1,460 1,441 1,473

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 8

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorised.

NatWest Group plc

Registrant

/s/ Katie Murray

Group Chief Financial Officer

29 October 2021

NatWest Group – Form 6-K Q3 Results 2021 9

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