In view of the profits of almost $1.5 billion witnessed by the Royal Bank of Canada in its fourth quarter, the shareholders shot a series of grilling questions at the bank's top executives and directors at the bank's general annual meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our performance in 2009 was among the strongest in the world and it wasn't about making big bets and taking excessive risk. It was about balance and diversification. I am optimistic about our ability to succeed in 2010 and beyond and to take advantage of the changing global landscape", President and Chief Executive Gordon Nixon explained to the shareholders.

The Royal Bank reported a net income of $1.497 billion on the first quarter. For the same period, RBC's total revenue reached $7.33 billion.

While there was an increase in the market values of the insurance and capital for the bank, its international banking and corporate support suffered a fall.

"It's good to see that the credit impairments are moderating in the U. S. loan book. It has really been a drag on their profits for some time. At the same time, there was not as much moderation in the domestic loan book", said Edward Jones analyst Craig Fehr.

During the meeting on environmental and lending policies at its annual general meeting RBC laid more emphasis on environmental issues.