[ZURICH] Credit Suisse Group AG posted a fourth-quarter loss of 2.35 billion francs (S$3.33 billion) after taking a charge to settle a US investigation into the role of its mortgage securities business in the 2008 financial crisis. The setback, resulting in the second consecutive annual loss for the Swiss bank, was bigger than the 2.07 billion-franc loss predicted on average by seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The bank set aside 2.17 billion francs to top up legal provisions, including for its US$5.3 billion settlement with the US Justice Department, the Zurich-based lender said in a statement Tuesday. Last year "was the first full year of implementing our new strategy and it was a challenging and busy 12 months," CEO Tidjane Thiam said in the statement. "Thanks to our strong client franchise and the dedication of our teams, we have made good progress on our key objectives."