Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Outperform" rating for major state-owned banks, including China Postal Savings Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, and China Bank [3][7][10]. Core Insights - The report emphasizes that state-owned banks exhibit strong asset return rates despite lower ROE, with a RORWA of 1.43%, outperforming joint-stock and regional banks [4][14]. - It highlights the stability of credit demand due to a higher proportion of safe assets, with over 60% of loans in infrastructure and mortgages [5][4]. - The report suggests that the valuation of banks is expected to recover, with a potential upside of 30%-50% from current levels [10]. Summary by Sections Profitability - State-owned banks have a lower leverage ratio, with an average ROE of 11.34% and an average ROA of 0.84%, comparable to the industry average [14]. - The average RORWA for state-owned banks is 1.43%, higher than joint-stock banks (1.16%) and regional banks (1.26%) [4][14]. - The net interest margin is expected to stabilize as deposit rates decrease, benefiting from a high proportion of deposits in liabilities [9][10]. Performance - The net profit growth of state-owned banks is slightly lower than peers due to cautious provisioning [12]. - Non-interest income accounts for 23% of total revenue, which is below the industry average of 25% [12][9]. - The asset composition is heavily weighted towards loans, particularly mortgages, which have lower risk weights [16]. Asset Quality - The report notes that state-owned banks have a stricter risk recognition standard, with a non-performing loan ratio close to the industry average but a higher ratio of overdue loans [5][12]. - The average provision coverage ratio exceeds 250%, indicating potential for profit release [5][12]. Capital Adequacy - State-owned banks maintain a higher core Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio, averaging 11.69%, which is significantly above the regulatory minimum [14][16]. - The new capital regulations are expected to further benefit these banks, potentially increasing their capital ratios by about 1 percentage point [9][10]. Valuation - The report anticipates a long-term recovery in bank valuations, with forward P/B ratios expected to stabilize around 0.7-0.8x, compared to the current 0.5x [10]. - Catalysts for this recovery include macroeconomic recovery, lower deposit costs, and supportive fiscal policies [10].