China Construction Bank (CCB), the country's second largest lender by market value, said Sunday that its net profits rose 26.39 percent year on year to 135 billion yuan ($20.45 billion) last year.

Also, earnings per share rose to 0.56 yuan from 0.45 yuan one year earlier, the Beijing-based bank said in a statement filed at the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

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The lender noted that its increased profits were largely due to rising net interest income and commissions.

Net interest income, or revenue from borrowers minus interest paid to depositors, climbed 18.7 percent to 251.5 billion yuan last year, while commissions and income from fee-based services gained 37.61 percent to 66.13 billion yuan.

By the end of last year, the bank's total assets had reached 10.81 trillion yuan, an increase of 12.33 percent from one year earlier. Outstanding loans at the lender rose 17.75 percent year on year to 5.53 trillion yuan.

CCB's capital adequacy ratio, which measures a bank's ability to deal with risk assets, rose to 12.68 percent at the end of 2010, compared with 11.7 percent one year earlier.

CCB said it would strengthen risk control of loans extended to real estate developers, industries with overcapacity and investment vehicles owned by local governments this year to improve its credit structure while reducing risks.