Corporate finance

Cleveland-based KeyCorp posts a subdued profit in the wake of a loan loss provision that was more than six times greater than the level of fourth-quarter net charge-offs.

The Buffalo, New York, bank expects outstanding loans to grow by as much as 9% in 2023. Deposits, on the other hand, could fall.

The Dallas-based bank, whose deposit base is more commercial-focused, has seen significant outflows in deposits over the past year. But last quarter's declines were "better than we expected," and there are other signs that the environment may moderate this year, its CFO said.

Lending momentum and robust interest income powered earnings, but the Georgia bank expects deposit cost increases to weigh on its net interest margin.

Discover Financial Services posted a healthy fourth-quarter increase in card spending and lending, but analysts raised concerns about a sharp rise in credit account charge-offs that's likely to continue into 2024.

Both Silvergate and Signature banks, two of the most active crypto counterparties in the banking sector, received advances from the quasi-governmental lenders to offset falling deposits.

The Pittsburgh bank posted a solid profit and said that it expects continued loan growth. But the pace of business expansion could slow alongside an economic downturn.

The Mississippi bank said it fell short of funding its loans with deposits in the fourth quarter of 2022. This year, it plans to narrow its focus to core relationship lending.

Neobanks and online lenders are expected to address credit concerns, product development and balance sheet resilience in upcoming reports.

CEO Bruce Van Saun said that any potential recession will likely be "subdued," as the Rhode Island bank projected a rebound in noninterest income.

Goldman Sachs provided more details on its pullback from its once-grand ambitions to expand into consumer finance. Though parts of that strategy will remain, the New York bank will halt its personal loan business and postpone offering a checking account for its wealth management customers.

The New York bank reported a 17% drop-off in deposits during the fourth quarter as it sought to reduce its concentration in the digital currency realm. It expects its balance sheet to stabilize in the second half of 2023.

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