Bucking the slowdown in economic growth in the wake of the global financial turmoil, UCPB posted double-digit increase in total assets in 2008 on the back of the robust expansion of its deposits and loans during the year.

Total assets of the bank reached P114.4 billion at the end of the year, nearly P13 billion or 12% higher than the P101.7 billion a year ago.

Strong performance in deposit generation and lending anchored the bank’s 2008 results.

UCPB raised total deposits by 21% during the period, from P77.6 billion to P93.6 billion with the inexpensive current account and savings account deposits (CASA), which has been the bank’s main focus, hitting a record level. At the end of the year, CASA totaled P37.7 billion, up 13% from the previous high of P33.3 billion.

On the other hand, total loans expanded by 47%, from P22.0 billion to P32.4 billion. Both consumer loans and commercial/corporate loans increased. Consumer loans went up by 42% to a new high of P4.7 billion from P3.3 billion, while commercial/corporate loans rose 57% to P22.4 billion from P14.3 billion.

UCPB is confident that it can sustain this growth momentum in 2009.

The UCPB Bowling Team brought honor to the bank anew by winning the Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. Cup in the recent 10-team Bankers Athletic Association (BAA) Interbank Bowling Tournament.

The UCPB bowlers claimed their second consecutive BAA championship in dominant fashion. They earned the top spot in the elimination round with 23,028 pinfalls, leaving Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Philippine National Bank and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to fight it out for the right to face them for the title. In the championship round, Team UCPB won handily, beating BSP by 78 pinfalls, 912 to 834.

Aside from the championship, members of the UCPB Bowling Team brought home individual titles. Marc Matias bagged the Men’s Masters Event and posted the High Game of the tournament with 258 pinfalls. Choy Asong placed second in the Ladies’ Masters Event.

On the other hand, Ton Carabeo took the High Series honors in the men’s division with 653 pinfalls, placed third in the Men’s Masters Event and also had the highest average with 197 pinfalls.

The members of the winning UCPB Bowling Team are shown below. They are: (front row, from left) Nelia San Jose, Ma. Edith de Guzman, Choy Asong, Tessie Angeles, Vani Blancaflor, (at the back, from left) Elzeber Murallos, Dong Clarin, Mon Moncada, Ton Carabeo, Marc Matias and Arnel Valles.

The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) signed up recently for UCPB's over-the-counter collection facility (OTCCF), an online cash management service, to strengthen its collection system and fund management controls.

The NLRC is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment that is tasked to promote industrial peace by resolving labor disputes through mediation, conciliation and compulsory arbitration.


Through UCPB's OTCCF, the contending parties in these labor cases can now conveniently remit to the NLRC their payments of service fees, legal fees, documentary stamp tax payments, monetary judgment awards and other litigation fees through any of the bank's branches nationwide. The payments will be credited immediately to NLRC's accounts, and the machine-validated bills payment slip will serve as the payors' proof of payment.

The NLRC is the third government institution after the Professional Regulation Commission and the Energy Regulatory Commission to sign up for UCPB's OTCCF.

Shown below signing the collection service agreement are UCPB Branch Banking Group head SVP Edmond Bernardo and NLRC chairman Gerardo Nograles (2nd and 3rd from left). The signing was witnessed by UCPB North Metro Manila Region head VP Noel Calalang, NLRC executive clerk Flocerfida Trinidad (extreme left and right), UCPB-Banaue Branch manager M2 Arturo Macam, Jr., and UCPB-Banaue Branch sales officer M1 Bernard Dumlao.