Laurentian Bank profit misses estimates due to lower interest income

(Reuters) - Laurentian Bank of Canada reported a weaker-than-expected quarterly profit, hurt by fewer high-margin personal loans and lower prepayment penalties on residential mortgage loans. Laurentian Bank shares were down about 2 percent at C$50.60 on the Toronto Stock Exchange in early trading on Thursday. Net income rose to C$40.1 million, or C$1.27 per share, in the third quarter ended July 31 from C$27 million, or 86 Canadian cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, the lender earned C$1.35 per share, below the analysts' average estimate of C$1.40 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Net interest income fell 2 percent to C$141.2 million, while provision for loan losses, the amount of money the bank sets aside to cover bad loans, increased by C$1.5 million to C$10.5 million. Montreal-based Laurentian Bank's results contrast with those of its larger peers such as Toronto-Dominion Bank , Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and National Bank of Canada , who reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings. Laurentian Bank shares had risen about 10 percent this year through Wednesday's close. (Reporting by Ashutosh Pandey in Bangalore)