Retail & Commercial

The Pittsburgh bank had warned that business activity in its capital markets unit was slowing because of economic uncertainty stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But its fee income declined by more than the company anticipated in the first quarter, and looming rate hikes from the Fed will no doubt cut into mortgage income further.

U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo both reported robust business loan volumes during the first quarter, while other large lenders reported smaller gains. Inflation is fueling more spending on technology, and companies are catching up on capital expenditures that they deferred earlier in the pandemic, according to bank executives.

The 30-year average has risen by more than a full percentage point in a little over a month.

The banking company did not say what policy longtime CEO Alan Thian violated, nor has it named a permanent successor. Thian has led RBB since it was founded in 2008.

CEO Jamie Dimon cited elevated risks related to inflation and the war in Ukraine as the nation’s largest bank added $902 million in loan-loss reserves. “Does this represent conservatism in an uncertain macro environment or something more onerous?” one analyst asked.

Mike Roffler, the San Francisco bank’s incoming chief executive, says he’s not shifting strategy. During the first quarter, the company leaned on its mortgage business, where customers moved to lock in refinancings before interest rates rose.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has the legal authority to adjust maximum late fees that issuers may charge. The Consumer Bankers Association predicts the agency will reduce the limits as part of its crackdown on "junk fees" and to soften the impact of inflation on cardholders.

As inflation increases, more companies are shifting to remote and hybrid work to get their costs under control. Landlords could face rising vacancies and tumbling revenue, leaving them behind on loan payments.

Banks have supported initiatives aimed at closing the racial equality gap but the industry risks undermining this by fighting new rules to gather demographic data on small-business lending.

The loss was driven by “funding spread widening as well as credit-valuation adjustments relating to both increases in commodities exposures and markdowns of derivatives receivables from Russia-associated counterparties,” the company said.