Financial services companies’ earnings looked strong in the third quarter of 2009, as the 49 publicly listed companies in this survey posted an average increase of 15.2%, compared with the same period a year earlier. But most of the good news is concentrated in the banking sector, which had a gain of 30.8%.

All other sectors saw declines — except distributors and suppliers, which had profits vs losses in Q3 a year earlier, and holding companies, for which the increase was mainly due to Desjardins Group, whose activities include banking through its caisse network. Without the banks, there was an average decline of 23.3% for the companies in the survey; without banks and Desjardins, the average drop was 42.2%.

Twenty-five of the 49 companies had either decreased net income (11 firms) or were in a loss position (14). That left 19 with earnings increases — of which 12 were banks and one was Desjardins — and the remaining five reporting a profit vs a loss. Thus, without the banks and Desjardins, only 11 had improved results, compared with 22 that had earnings declines or losses.

The 49 companies exclude three firms in the table whose results are consolidated with others surveyed. These are Great-West Lifeco Inc. and IGM Financial Inc., which are majority owned by Power Financial Corp. ; and DundeeWealth Inc., majority owned by Dundee Corp.

Manulife Financial Corp. had the biggest deterioration in dollar terms, as it posted a loss of $138 million vs earnings of $507 million in Q3 a year prior. This was due to a charge of $783 million related to changes in actuarial methods and assumptions concerning future morbidity and policyholder behaviour. Meanwhile, Sun Life Financial Inc. was affected by updates to equity and interest rate-related actuarial assumptions — to the tune of $513 million.

Among the property and casualty insurers, all but Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. were down. This sector continues to struggle with soft markets and rising claim costs.

Nine of the mutual fund and investment management companies surveyed, including IGM, saw results deteriorate or were in a loss position.

Equitable Group Inc. and DundeeWealth raised capital in Q3 2009; Manulife, Sun Life, IGM and Power Financial all raised money following the quarter’s end.

It’s also worth noting that Cash Store Financial Services Inc., Home Capital Group Inc., First National Financial Income Fund, Laurentian Bank of Canada, CI Financial Corp. and Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc. increased their dividends or distributions, while Canaccord Capital Inc. (renamed Canaccord Financial Inc. as of Dec. 1, 2009) and GMP Capital Inc. have started paying dividends again.

Another trend in Q3 2009 is that consolidation continued. Seamark Asset Management Inc. is merging with GrowthWorks Ltd.; CI is selling the retail operations of Blackmont Capital Inc. to Macquarie Group, and Blackmont’s capital-markets business to employees; and GMP’s wealth-management business has completed its merger with Richardson Partners Financial Ltd. to form Richardson GMP Ltd.

Here’s a look at the sectors in more detail:

> Banks. These firms are benefiting from the steep yield curve, which allows them to pay little on deposits while charging healthy interest rates on loans.

Only Cash Store, HSBC Bank Canada and Pacific & Western Credit Corp. had earnings declines or losses. Cash Store was down because of startup losses associated with accelerated branch openings. HSBC’s consumer-finance business, acquired in August 2008, had a loss. Pacific & Western attracted significant deposits a year ago by offering relatively high interest rates, which are just now starting to be rolled over to lower rates.

Bank of Nova Scotia had the biggest increase in net income, up by 186.3%. Its Canadian banking operations had a record quarter; subsidiary Scotia Capital Inc. had its second-strongest quarter on record; and the bank’s international business had a healthy gain.

The Big Six banks generally reported stronger results from Canadian banking, and all saw a turnaround in capital markets. Wealth-management divisions continued to struggle, as did U.S. operations at Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Loan-loss provisions were up from Q3 a year ago, at $2.8 billion vs $2 billion, but down from Q2 2009’s $3 billion.

The banking sector’s average efficiency ratio (non-interest expenses as a percentage of revenue) improved markedly to 57.8% from 66.1%. This is generally due to a return to more normal levels rather than a move to higher productivity levels. However, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has seen a big improvement because it has kept non-interest expenses flat since Q4 2006.

> Life Insurers. All the life insurance companies had big increases in the fair value of investments held for trading, which pushed revenue way up along with contributing to net income.

Sales at Industrial Alliance In-surance & Financial Services Inc. ’s retail operations were generally up, while group insurance continued to be affected by the economic slowdown.

Great-West’s Canadian operations had lower net income, while there were gains in the U.S. and Europe. But despite the increase in the U.S., its Putnam Investments LLC subsidiary is still in net redemptions, with assets under management of US$113.7 billion vs US$136.6 billion in Q3 a year earlier. This is in contrast to Manulife’s and Sun Life’s U.S. wealth-management arms, which both had higher AUM than a year earlier.

Manulife’s net income from Canadian operations was virtually unchanged from a year earlier; its U.S. operations were down; Asia and Japan and reinsurance were up. Sun Life’s Canadian operations were up, and there was a smaller loss in the U.S. than in Q3 2008.

> Property And Casualty Insurers. The key factor for these companies is their combined ratios (operating expenses and losses as a percentage of net earned premiums). Only EGI and Fairfax had small underwriting profits, as indicated by a ratio of less than 100%.

All but Fairfax saw the ratio rise significantly. Intact Financial Corp. , which had previously kept its ratio below 100%, cited the high number of severe storms that mainly affected property — a factor affecting other firms as well. However, Intact says it sees positive signs ahead, including indications of firming prices in commercial lines.

The only company in trouble is Kingsway Financial Services Inc., whose U.S. subsidiary, Lincoln General Insurance Co., had turned into a can of worms. Kingsway disposed of Lincoln in October and has also gotten rid of non-core holdings. Kingsway is rebranding its Canadian operations as Jevco and announced in November that it is selling off its majority interest in Jevco Insurance Co.

> Mutual Fund And Investment Management Companies. The improved results at DundeeWealth, Guardian Capital Group Ltd. and Sprott Inc. all reflect reduced expenditures. DundeeWealth also had increased AUM.

CI also had an increase in AUM of 8.2% and positive net sales. This reflects its substantial segregated fund lineup, for which redemptions tend to be low because of the loss of guarantee that accompanies redemptions of these products.

AGF Management Ltd. remains in net redemptions, as do funds at IGM subsidiary Mackenzie Financial Corp. However, funds at another IGM subsidiary, Investors Group Inc., are posting net sales.

Seamark’s merger with Growth-Works provides the opportunity for new life at Seamark, which has struggled since IA bought Clarington Corp. in December 2005, resulting in Seamark losing the management mandate for the Clarington funds.

> Distributors And Suppliers. Six of these companies improved earnings. Only Accord Financial Corp. had a decline in net income, and just three — Coventree Inc., Northern Financial Corp. and Thomas Weisel Partners Group Inc. — were in a loss position.

Coventree is going out of business as a result of its involvement in asset-backed commercial paper.

Northern Financial has posted losses most quarters since it became an investment bank in 1999. Weisel has been in a loss position since Q3 2007.

The other investment banks/brokerages — Canaccord, GMP and Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. — all had better results as a result of improved conditions in the capital markets.

> Holding Companies. All but Power Financial had improved earnings, and it was down by only 0.9%. Even Jovian Capital Corp. had a smaller loss than in Q3 2008. IE