National Bank of Canada Q4 2021 Earnings Call Transcript

The following is excerpted from the question-and-answer section of the transcript.

Question: Gabriel Dechaine - National Bank Financial, Inc., Research Division - Analyst : I just want to go back to that PTPP guidance. I know I don't want to go into too much detail on segmented views, but just maybe more of a seasonal view similar to the comments Ghislain made about the operating leverage maybe being a bit softer in Q1 due to the timing of expenses that's going to be reflected in maybe a ramp-up of PTPP growth over the course of the year or what?

Question: Gabriel Dechaine - National Bank Financial, Inc., Research Division - Analyst : Sorry, go ahead.

Question: Gabriel Dechaine - National Bank Financial, Inc., Research Division - Analyst : I was just saying like your comments on operating leverage applicable about PTPP as well. Then a question about the Flinks actually. What does this enable for the Bank strategically or as we are heading down in the future anyway, to an open banking system in Canada. What advantages of being bank-owned is that business have? Generally, what does it provide you in that sort of -- in the sort of environment we're heading to? And then what are the advantages of, if any, being owned by a bank or...

Question: Gabriel Dechaine - National Bank Financial, Inc., Research Division - Analyst : I mean it's -- I don't want to overblow it or anything, but I did get a few investors asking about that today, so.

Question: Sohrab Movahedi - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : Actually, maybe I can just pick up where Bill left off there. When -- or when you and Darko, I guess, left off there. When you -- Bill, when you give us this outlook on impaired PCLs, for example, you gave it to us in basis point terms. What's the -- what sort of loan growth is implicit in that guidance?

Question: Sohrab Movahedi - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : Yes.

Question: Sohrab Movahedi - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : Okay. So when you combine that with how the performance kind of allowances may also contribute to the total number, I think if I read your message correctly, there could still be some performing allowance releases.

Question: Sohrab Movahedi - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : And I guess what I'm trying to get, to get a feel for, Bill, and I think in quarters past, you guys have been pretty clear that you're comfortable growing into your allowances. I'm just trying to kind of get a sense of how much of that guidance implicit in your kind of performing is -- like are you growing into it? Or are you releasing it? Yes. So I'm trying to figure out how much of it -- how much is happening in each one of those buckets?

Question: Sohrab Movahedi - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : That's helpful. If I can just come -- I know we're over time, but if I can just come at it from a slightly different angle here. Laurent, you mentioned mid-single-digit pretax pre-provision growth at the total bank level. What sort of balance sheet growth is implicit in that assumption?

Question: Sohrab Movahedi - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : Perfect. And then can you just remind us what's ABA's market share in Cambodia?

Question: Sohrab Movahedi - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : And Ghislain, am I right that a few years ago when you had ABA kind of discussion with the investment community, they would have said they're probably ranked fifth in market share by assets?