Feb 6 (Reuters) - Australia's biggest bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX , on Wednesday said its first-half unaudited cash profit rose 1.7 percent helped by a growth in home loans and retail banking services.
Cash earnings from continuing operations rose to A$4.68 billion ($3.38 billion) for the six months ended Dec. 31, compared with A$4.60 billion a year ago, and lower than an A$4.75 billion estimate by six analysts polled by Reuters.
CBA declared an interim dividend of A$2 per share, the same as last year.
($1 = 1.3827 Australian dollars)