Corporate finance

Though revenue growth remains a challenge, Citigroup is still committed to its global wealth management expansion plan, CEO Jane Fraser said Friday. Andy Sieg is joining the bank from Merrill Lynch in September as head of global wealth management.

The San Francisco bank identified "signs of weakness" and increased its loan loss reserves substantially. Small and midsize banks have significantly larger exposures than Wells does to the office segment, which has been hit by changing work habits.

The largest U.S. bank by assets raised its forecast for net interest income in 2023 to $81 billion from $74 billion, a positive sign for investors wondering how an economic downturn might weigh on profits.

The Pittsburgh bank grew its deposits in the first quarter, even as the failure of two other regionals sparked outflows across the industry. But PNC executives warned Friday that rising funding costs could continue to eat into its net interest margin.

Chase, Wells Fargo both reported increased gain on sale margins in the first quarter over the fourth, a potentially promising indicator for upcoming IMB earnings.

Revenue from fixed-income, currencies and commodities trading unexpectedly rose 4% to $4.5 billion in the first quarter, as clients reacted to changing interest rates, the company says. Net income rose 7% to $4.6 billion.

The lender had $2.38 trillion of deposits at the end of March, compared with $2.34 trillion three months earlier. The influx more than offset drains from inflation and customers' seeking higher-yielding alternatives.

The firm reported $13.3 billion in NII in the first three months of the year, up 45% from a year earlier and more than the 42% jump analysts expected. That gain helped counter a surge in provisions for souring loans.

Banks and credit unions compete head-to-head in many markets, so credit union CEOs take advantage of bank earnings season to gain a little extra intel. But many will scour first-quarter results as closely as ever to determine the impact of the banking crisis on deposits flows, lending and the overall economy.

M&A activity has been going through a slump recently, but despite regulatory challenges and fears of a recession, the appetite for deal-making remains strong.

The use of the Federal Reserve's emergency lending facilities was largely unchanged this week, indicating to some that the recent liquidity crisis isn't getting any worse.

It would be unwise to restrict the use of Home Loan bank advances to housing-related lending.

The liquidity facility launched by the central bank over the weekend saw limited uptake compared to other emergency funding options.

Small and midsize banks flooded the Federal Home Loan Bank System with demands for liquidity to avert potential bank runs and stave off taking unrealized losses on investment portfolios just as the Federal Reserve opened a liquidity facility for just that reason.

The Treasury Department issued a "systemic risk exception" allowing it to cover uninsured deposits at SVB and Signature Bank, which New York State closed on Sunday.

The recent drought in deals means the company "may have to repace in certain areas" its investment banking unit has beefed up in for years, including energy, biotechnology and health care, Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason says.

The economic picture for its customers is good, according to Jason Wilk, who leads the Los Angeles fintech. He sees no need for new products or capital raises in the coming year to break even.

The results came a day after it emerged that Canada's second-largest bank doesn't anticipate regulators will approve its deal for Memphis, Tenn.-based First Horizon Corp. by May 27, as it previously projected.

Banks reported record growth in net interest margins in 2022, but net income still fell, and the industry "continues to face significant downside risks" from inflation and other factors, Martin Gruenberg says.

The Canadian bank now expects loan growth in the mid-single-digit range this year, down from a high-single-digit forecast three months ago. "We're not slowing, but the economy is," one executive said.