Profits increase at Ireland's PTSB as lending volumes soar

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish financial services firm Permanent TSB (PTSB) reported on Wednesday a 33 percent jump in first-half pretax profit to 57 million euros (£51.68 million), driven by a jump in lending. New lending volumes at the bank, which is 75 percent state-owned, grew by 50 percent to 585 million euros, with mortgage lending up by 51 percent and consumer lending up 42 percent.Bailed out like other major Irish banks during last decade's financial crisis, PTSB has been trying to reduce its..