By Dieter Holger 



  The Bank of Nova Scotia said Tuesday that profit fell in the latest quarter after the pandemic "significantly impacted" its business, forcing it to set aside cash to cover problem loans. 


  The Toronto-based bank, which operates as Scotiabank, reported profit of C$1.31 billion ($94 million), or C$1 a share, down from C$2.19 billion, or C$1.73 a share, a year ago. 


  Adjusted earnings were C$1.04, in line with what analysts polled by FactSet had forecasted. 


  The bank reported net interest income of C$4.42 billion, up slightly C$4.19 billion a year ago. Non-interest income was C$3.54 billion, also up from C$3.61 billion in the previous year. 


  Analysts had forecasted lower net interest income of C$4.35 billion and non-interest income of C$3.41 billion. 


  The lender set aside C$1.85 billion to cover losses on loans, up from C$873 million a year ago. 


  Scotiabank also said it launched several new digital services during the lockdown to provide relief to about 300,000 Canadian households and process 2 million customer assistance applications across its international footprint. 


  Write to Dieter Holger at dieter.holger@wsj.com; @dieterholger