After a record-breaking year of reeling in business from failed banks and scared customers defecting from rivals, the largest U.S. bank expects it will keep getting larger.

The company spent $15.8 billion in the fourth quarter, down 2% from a year earlier, while analysts had estimated an 11% drop. Severance expenses and a special deposit insurance assessment contributed $3 billon to that total.

The decline in profit came mainly from a $2.1 billion FDIC assessment and a $1.6 billion charge tied to the shift away from LIBOR.

JPMorgan Chase closed out the most profitable year in U.S. banking history with its seventh consecutive quarter of record net interest income and a surprise forecast that the windfall may continue this year. 

When big banks kick off earnings season on Friday, industry observers will be paying close attention to loan growth, deposit growth, expense growth, credit quality and capital ratios. All five areas will offer clues about the industry's trajectory in 2024.

The company is poised to report quarterly earnings this week that are expected to reveal revenue growth at seven times the average pace of its peers.  

The majority of those affected are in support functions, reflecting the removal of management layers and improved technology and automation capabilities, the company says.

Bank investors hope they can party like it's 1995, when the U.S. economy stayed healthy even after aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes. But a few analysts are a bit more cautious over whether banks' loan books will hold up as well this time.

After a year marred by the biggest US bank failures since the 2008 financial crisis, the nation's largest lender is on familiar footing — scooping up a rival, reeling in its clients and minting record profits along the way.

Funding pressures moderated in recent months, but loan charge-offs climbed. With festering concerns about a vulnerable economy, the potential for elevated credits costs could loom large over the upcoming bank earnings season.