© 2024 Arizent. All rights reserved.
p17p1aon4418s5bu31dts1kr91dnqb.jpg
Disappointments, turnarounds and shocking comments -- banks offered plenty of them in their first-quarter results and executive conference calls.

Related Articles: 1Q Earnings Scorecard

First-Quarter Highlights at Smaller Banks: In Pictures

What Earnings Say About the Future of Banking: Video

Banks to Keep Cutting Until Signs of Recovery Add Up

Bank M&A's Bumpy Road: In Pictures

(Image: Thinkstock)

p17p1aon44atqum91k791amse3na.jpg

A Step Backward

Bank of America (BAC) was one of the top stocks last year and seemed to be on a roll, but its first-quarter results featured a steep fall in revenue, weakness in consumer banking and persistent legal costs. It's the "time to shine" for B of A's employees, CEO Brian Moynihan said.

(Image: Bloomberg News)

p17p1aon441j6g1p1gd7r12q8rev4.jpg

A Step Forward

It's hard to remember the last time Citigroup (NYSE:C) was the bright spot in earnings, but it led the big banks with 6% revenue growth and beat earnings expectations under new CEO Michael Corbat.
p17p1aon44jp14h315la1phdsqc.jpg

Are You Kidding Us?

You could hear analysts' jaws dropping in disbelief after Synovus (SNV) CEO Kessel Stelling insisted the Columbus, Ga., bank could start buying banks this year even though he had just reported shrinking revenue, loans and earnings in the first quarter.
p17p1aon441ofb7snh5l200srp9.jpg

Moving On

First Niagara (FNFG) overcame the gloom, and a $6.3 million charge related to the exits of CEO John Koelmel and vice president Oliver Sommer, by reporting a 12% increase in profits on strong fee income.

(Image: Bloomberg News)

p17p1aon44eaogtv2dpj0o126a3.jpg

Momentum Killer

TCF Financial (TCB), led by CEO William Cooper, seemed to be on a roll early this year, but a steep decline in quarterly banking fees and other revenue "diminished" its prospects, Sandler O'Neill analysts wrote.
p17p1aon4410ve18jda0ffk812es5.jpg

Comeback Kid?

FirstMerit (FMER) reported 11% loan growth in the first quarter, and that didn't include the purchase of Citizens Republic this month. The Akron, Ohio, bank's stock as of Wednesday had nearly rebounded to where it was before CEO Paul Greig announced the unpopular deal.
p17p1aon44f2v3d1oq718j43b47.jpg

M&A Snafu

A few days before its release of first-quarter results, M&T Bank (MTB) delayed until Jan. 31 the deadline for completing its purchase of Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK). M&T blamed concerns raised by regulators about its compliance with anti-laundering rules.
p17p1aon442s01qgj1km18brvem8.jpg

Bearer of Bad News ... Again

It's rare that BB&T (BBT), led by CEO Kelly King, has back-to-back negative announcements, but it took a tax-related hit that cut earnings in half in the first quarter just weeks after the Federal Reserve rejected its capital plan.

(Image: Bloomberg News)

p17p1aon443639u8urke6819b46.jpg

Bucking the Mortgage Blues

Taylor Capital's (TAYC) mortgage origination more than doubled, to $1.9 billion, and it expanded its portfolio of mortgage-servicing rights by more than a third, to $106.6 million, when most other banks reported lackluster mortgage numbers. (We won't mention that the Chicago-area bank missed its EPS estimate.)

(Image: Thinkstock)
Consumer banking
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER