Hits and Misses from 4Q Earnings
January 28, 2015 10:15 AM
Big banks had a forgettable fourth quarter thanks to old problems like tight margins and new ones like the collapse in oil prices, but executives who could fall back on products such as credit cards, insurance and investment banking had something to brag on.
(Image: iStock)
Hit: Richard Davis
In what has become a routine, the U.S. Bancorp chief reported stellar results , thanks this time to increases in fee income and net interest income as well as to a $124 million gain from an equity investment. The results prompted analyst Richard Bove to describe U.S. Bancorp "as perfect as a company can get in this industry ."
(Image: Bloomberg News)
Miss: Jamie Dimon
The JPMorgan Chase chief had a hard time tamping down chatter all month among investors and armchair executives that the company should be broken up. Analysts aggressively queried him on everything from breaking up the bank to persistently high expenses. Dimon's $20 million compensation plan, however, should help soften the blow .
(Image: Bloomberg News)
Hits: Beth Mooney and Kelly King
Businesses outside the core of basic banking-insurance and investment banking-helped two large regional banks, KeyCorp and BB&T. KeyCorp CEO Beth Mooney said the results showed the success of its focus on "the full relationship" with customers. And BB&T CEO Kelly King met his ambitious goal of improving the bank's efficiency ratio to 56%.
(Image: Bloomberg News)
Misses: Grayson Hall and Kevin Kabat
Fifth Third Bancorp, led by Kevin Kabat, and Regions Financial, led by Grayson Hall, reported steep declines in revenue from deposit-advance products after regulators cracked down on products that resemble payday lending.
Hit: Richard Fairbank
The Capital One chief not only reported higher profit in the fourth quarter , thanks to expansion of credit card loans. His company also widened its net interest margin, a difficult task during times of low interest rates.
Misses: Kenneth Chenault and David Nelms
American Express, led by Chenault, and Discover Financial, headed by Nelms, weren't as lucky as their rival credit-card issuer Capital One. Amex is cutting more than 4,000 jobs to lower expenses, and Discover's profit plunged on lower mortgage-banking fees and a $178 million charge tied to its cash rewards program.
(Image: Bloomberg News)
Hit: Bruce Van Saun
Citizens Financial Group, led by Bruce Van Saun, expanded commercial lending and boosted profits 30% in the fourth quarter its first full quarter since going public.
Miss: Brian Moynihan
Bank of America just wrapped up a cost-cutting initiative by selling off legacy loans , but analysts were less-than-thrilled when CEO Brian Moynihan failed to disclose a new plan to trim expenses .
(Image: Bloomberg News)
Hit: Philip Flynn
The Green Bay, Wis., company's profit growth has Chief Executive Philip Flynn publicly stating that he's on the lookout for M&A deals , largely as a way to cut costs. Associated has already gotten started, as it announced a deal last week to acquire an insurance brokerage.
Misses: Bankers in the Oil Business
Banks with exposure to the energy were hit hard by the collapse in oil prices. Comerica and Zions Bancorp. both raised loss reserves on increased risk in their energy portfolios. Prosperity Bancshares said it hasn't seen negative effects yet on its energy loans, but its stock price has taken a dive on investor concern.
(Image: iStock)
