Profits leap at Virgin Money
The bank, which listed on London's main market in 2014, said it would increase credit card balances to at least £3bn by the end of 2017, a year earlier than it anticipated.
Credit card balances rose 44 per cent to £1.6bn in the year.
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Hide AdUnderlying pre-tax profit rose to £160.3m for the year to December 31 from £104.8m a year earlier. Underlying net interest margin increased to 165 basis points from 150 basis points in 2014.
Virgin Money, which counts itself among the bigger "challenger" banks in Britain, said gross mortgage lending rose 29 per cent to £7.5bn in the year, reflecting the buoyant housing market in 2015.
Mortgage balances rose 16 per cent to £25.5bn versus market growth of 1.8 per cent, the company said.