Finance

Rising deposit costs and the likelihood of a slowdown in loan growth could stifle earnings, credit union executives say.

Silvergate Capital Corp. reported a $1 billion loss and said it would offboard some noncore digital-asset customers following a quarter that saw a dramatic draw-down in deposits after the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX.

Signature Bank of New York is pulling back from crypto deposits and has increased borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.

Further interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve will force Bank of America to continue repricing deposits, which fell 6.5% in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier, executives said.

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and the Bank of New York Mellon all announced plans to restart or increase their buybacks this year after a sharp drop-off in 2022. Bank of America's CEO also said the company is "back in the game."

For the fourth straight quarter, the nation's largest bank boosted its loan-loss reserves, this time setting aside $1.4 billion to cover potentially souring loans. Other big banks made similar moves as the industry braces for a potential recession.

The New York bank, which recorded an 8% increase in expenses last year, projects that they will rise by 5% in 2023. Other megabanks are also contending with higher costs.

Despite the layoffs across the finance industry, there were no signs of a staffing pullback in JPMorgan Chase or Bank of America's fourth-quarter results. Wells Fargo's headcount dropped to 238,698 from 249,435 a year earlier

Net interest income rose 29% in the fourth quarter on higher rates and loan growth, though the increase was smaller than forecast. Trading revenue soared 27%.

Citigroup's fixed-income traders turned in a record-setting finale to 2022 as the bank, under pressure to improve returns, braced itself for a less certain economy.

The bank spent $16.2 billion in the last three months of 2022, exceeding analyst estimates.

The company said NII will be about $73 billion this year, below the $74.4 billion estimate of analysts. The forecast followed a record haul of $20.2 billion from net interest income in the fourth quarter.

The market volatility and interest rate hikes that gave U.S. banks their biggest windfall last year may prove to be their biggest headache in 2023.

The JPMorgan Chase CEO said the Federal Reserve's rate hikes might need to go beyond what's currently expected, but he's in favor of a pause to see the full impact of last year's increases.

Crypto startups are facing a harrowing time attracting private financiers after the collapse of the digital-asset exchange FTX. Venture capital investment in the industry plunged to its lowest level in almost two years during the fourth quarter of 2022, according to data from the research firm PitchBook.

The impact of a weakening economy on quarterly performance will become clearer by the second week of January as banks begin to report fourth-quarter earnings.

Bank of America was an anchor investor for a new $100 million fund managed by Mendoza Ventures, which backs companies with founders from minority and other diverse backgrounds in the financial technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity industries.

The Office of Financial Research proposed a rule that would give it greater transparency into non-centrally cleared bilateral repurchase agreement transactions.

Rising interest rates and the potential for weakening economic activity could result in moderating loan demand in the new year. Some bankers are already being more selective in their lending.

The year could be marked by volatility, induced in part by rising interest rates, but prime money market funds could still see a 0.08% rise in assets.