Banco Santander Q4 Profit Rises 13%

Banco Santander (NYSE: STD), the Euro Zone's largest bank, said its fourth-quarter profit rose 13% helped by the performance of the bank's Brazil and U.K. operations. The bank earned $3 billion in the quarter, beating analyst estimates.

Loan-loss provisions rose 18% from the year earlier period, but declined from the third quarter. Santander's profit from its U.K. operations up 55%, while profit in Latin America rose 11%, with the bulk of that contribution from Brazil, according to MarketWatch.

Spain-based listed its Brazilian unit, Banco Santander Brasil (NYSE: BSBR) on the NYSE last year.