Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) share price on watch after solid half year update

The Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) share price will be one to watch on Thursday.

This follows the release of the regional bank’s half year results this morning.

How did Bank of Queensland perform in the first half?

During the first half of FY 2021, Bank of Queensland achieved a 9% increase in cash earnings after tax to $165 million. This was driven by balance sheet growth, improved net interest margin (NIM), disciplined expense management, and lower loan impairment expense.

In respect to its NIM, the bank’s NIM increased by 3 basis points during the half to 1.95%. This improvement was largely due to lower…