WASHINGTON – MBNA Corp., one of the world’s largest credit-card lenders, Thursday posted a 9 percent rise in fourth-quarter profits and raised its quarterly dividend by 2 cents, or 17 percent.

MBNA, a major employer in Maine, also said it would take a hefty charge in the first quarter for voluntary early retirement and severance programs and expects to consolidate parts of its operation after a review of operations.

Net income came to $768.9 million, or 59 cents a share, for the latest quarter, compared with $703.5 million, or 54 cents a share, a year earlier, the company said.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call had expected earnings of 58 cents per share in the latest quarter.

For all of 2004, MBNA, based in Wilmington, Del., reported net income of $2.68 billion, or $2.05 a share, matching Wall Street’s expectations, compared with $2.34 billion, or $1.79 a share, for 2003.

According to a regulatory filing, a quarterly dividend of 14 cents a share, up from 12 cents, will be paid April 1 to shareholders of record as of March 15.