Deutsche Bank Posts Another Quarterly Profit

Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), Germany's biggest bank, posted its fourth consecutive quarterly profit, earning $1.8 billion in the fourth quarter after posting a loss in the year earlier period.

Tax gains helped Deutsche Bank achieve the profit as the company acknowledged weakness in its investment banking division, which also includes its trading operation. The bank is planning a 2009 dividend of 75 cents a share, up sharply from the 2008 payout of 50 cents a share.

Deutsche Bank’s Tier 1 capital ratio, a key measure of financial strength, was 12.6 percent, up from 10.1 percent at the end of 2008, Bloomberg News reported.