Credit quality

The Mississippi company said it decided to take aggressive measures to reduce its exposure to energy firms.

The company said it recorded a large loan-loss provision in the second quarter to reflect Coex Coffee International's pending liquidation.

Net charge-offs fell at Citigroup and Wells Fargo, thanks to forbearance and federal stimulus. Leaders of those banks are warning that delinquencies could rise once the benefits of those programs wear off.

Megabanks like JPMorgan Chase boosted loan-loss provisions to record levels in the second quarter in preparation for what could be a wave of loan defaults.

The results show how Wall Street giants such as Citigroup leaned on volatile businesses in the second quarter to counter mounting signs of distress from lending operations.

The country's largest bank said second-quarter profit fell 51% to $4.69 billion, a smaller drop than forecast, as record trading revenue helped counter the biggest loan-loss provision in its history.

Bankers had asserted in April that they could handle a slump in oil prices tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Continued volatility, combined with declining collateral values and a rise in bankruptcies for exploration companies, is denting their confidence.

The New York-area companies' $489 million agreement runs counter to recent merger pacts built around branch cuts and more tech spending.

Deferral periods on scores of commercial loans will soon be ending, and many banks’ profits this year could turn on whether borrowers can resume making payments or will seek extensions.

With credit quality suffering due to the coronavirus outbreak, the online business lender faces onerous loan repayments if it can't renegotiate a corporate debt facility.