RIYADH, 11 July 2005 — Saudi Arabia’s Arab National Bank (ANB) said yesterday its first-half net profit rose 55 percent to SR892 million ($238 million). The bank said in a statement posted on the Saudi stock market website that loans increased by 36 percent to SR33.3 billion. Customer deposits reached SR46.8 billion, a rise of 24 percent over the same period last year.