Bank of America and Citigroup posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings on lower credit losses, but their shares fell as the banks highlighted the challenge of boosting revenue in a stagnant economy.
As with JPMorgan Chase & Co., which reported Thursday, the banks’ investment banking profits were down, a bleak sign for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, whose results are due next week.All of the banks are grappling with how their business will be affected by the landmark financial reform bill passed by Congress Thursday.
Executives at Bank of America Corp and Citigroup Inc said the impact of the bill is uncertain. Like JPMorgan on Thursday, they were unable to quantify the possible costs for their business.
“The question is, how are they going to generate earnings aside from dropping the reserve to the bottom line?” asked Keith Davis, financial sector analyst at Farr, Miller & Washington.
Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan, the three largest U.S. banks, all benefited in the second quarter by releasing money put aside for troubled loans, after losses on credit cards and some mortgages slowed.
Loans at Bank of America and Citi were down from a year earlier, and analysts and investors said they were concerned by executives’ comments that credit demand is still weak.
“Everyone’s sitting on the sidelines,” said Citigroup Chief Financial Officer John Gerspach, commenting on loan demand on a call with reporters. “I don’t see a great deal of demand in the near term, at least until this uncertainty is removed.”
Bank of America, JPMorgan and Citigroup have all seen revenue slump from a year earlier.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America said its credit costs declined for the fourth straight quarter and it put less money aside against future losses.
Citigroup also reported that credit losses eased. Much of the New York bank’s profit came from a lower provision for credit losses and a release of reserves.
“Both reports reflect a significant improvement in credit quality but little in the way of identifying how they’re going to go from that to revenue growth,” said Marshall Front, chairman of Front Barnett Associates.
In recent quarters, banks have depended on their investment banking units, while their consumer businesses were hit by rising losses. Now, as consumer loan losses are less of a worry, trading revenue has suffered as stock markets were hit by a “flash crash” in the U.S. and sovereign debt worries in Europe.
Revenue at Bank of America’s investment bank slumped to $6 billion in the second quarter from $9.8 billion in the first quarter. Citigroup also said its securities and banking revenue fell, down 26 percent from the first quarter to $6 billion.
Bank of America reported net income of $3.1 billion, or 27 cents a share, down from $3.2 billion, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts had expected 22 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Citigroup reported its second consecutive profitable quarter, posting net income of $2.7 billion, or 9 cents a share, down from $4.3 billion, or 49 cents per share, a year earlier. Analysts had expected 5 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
JPMorgan Thursday reported a higher-than-expected second-quarter profit of $4.8 billion, up 76 percent from a year earlier.
