PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - March 26

HONG KONG, March 26 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES

-- Swire Properties has invested HK$20 billion on mainland property development in recent years. The company wants to group its mainland items under a separate REIT listing but has no timetable yet.

APPLE DAILY

-- Hongkong and China Gas (0003.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is set to report its 2007 corporate results on Wednesday and analysts expect it to report earnings of HK$9.218 billion, up 57 percent.

MING PAO DAILY NEWS

-- Dah Sing Banking Group's 50 percent rise in core business earnings was offset by its HK$900 million provision on subprime exposure. The company's net profit fell 33 percent on year to HK$800 million. That of associated Dah Sing Financial (0440.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) also fell by 25 percent.

SING TAO DAILY

-- Bank of China (3988.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and its Hong Kong subsidiary both reported better-than-expected annual results despite a heavy provision near US$1.3 billion on subprime items.