Taiwan's Chinatrust to raise $200 mln for US unit

TAIPEI, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Chinatrust Financial (2891.TW), Taiwan's top credit card issuer, said on Friday it plans to raise up to $200 million for its U.S. subsidiary to improve its financial capability.

Chinatrust will inject capital into Chinatrust Bank (U.S.A.), it said in a company statement, adding it aimed to boost competitiveness of the U.S. unit.

The move comes after Chinatrust lowered sharply in August its January-June net profit to T$353 million ($11 million) from T$5.23 billion released originally, partly due to a write-off by Chinatrust Bank (U.S.A.), which suffered losses because of the U.S. mortgage crisis.

The announcement came after Taiwan's markets closed. Chinatrust shares ended up 1.67 percent, beating the main index's .TWII 0.29 percent gain. ($1=T$32.4) (Reporting by Faith Hung)