Kuwait Finance House says 20 pct capital increase oversubscribed

Kuwait Finance House (KFH said its 20 percent capital increase had been oversubscribed by shareholders, without providing specific details. The bank was raising 319 million dinars ($1.12 billion) from the sale of 639 million new shares at 0.5 dinars each - a 35.9 percent discount to the closing price at the start of June, when the offer period was announced. The share sale, which ran for two weeks from June 5, will boost KFH's paid-up capital by 64 million dinars and would fund the bank's expansion and strengthen its balance sheet. The sale will push the bank's Tier 1 ratio towards its 17 percent target for the end of 2013. It currently stands at 13.6 percent, below the 15.5 percent average for the Kuwait banking sector. The capital increase is part of the bank's five-year strategic plan, with shareholders giving assent to the move in April.