Santander posts flat Q4 net profit, lending revenues up

MADRID, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Santander, the euro zone's biggest bank, on Wednesday posted an 0.3 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit from a year earlier, helped by better than expected lending income.

Santander, which makes the biggest chunk of its profit in the UK and Brazil, said net interest income came in at 7.89 billion euros ($8.57 billion), up 2.3 percent from a year ago and more than the 7.70 billion euros expected by analysts in a Reuters poll.

Net (LSE: 0LN0.L - news) profit was 1.46 billion euros in the quarter, slightly less than expected, as provisions on soured debts rose.

For 2015 as a while, net profit was 6.57 billion euros, up 12.9 percent from 2014, the bank said. ($1 = 0.9206 euros) (Reporting by Sarah White, Editing by Paul Day)