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2003 FDIC Q. Banking Profile 1 (2003)

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Quarterly Banking Profile




            Industry Earnings Of $29.4 Billion Set New Record

            Domestic Asset- Quality Indicators Improve For
              Second Quarter In A Row

            Net   Interest Margins Continue To Narrow

            Asset Growth Remains Strong, Propelled By Mortgage Activity


Net Income, ROA Reach New Highs
An  improving trend in troubled loans and low interest
rates contributed to a favorable environment for bank
and thrift earnings in the first quarter of 2003. Lower
expenses for credit losses and sizable gains on sales of
securities helped lift earnings of FDIC-insured institu-
tions to record levels. Insured commercial banks and
savings institutions earned $29.4 billion in the quarter,
an increase of $4.0 billion (15.9 percent) over the first
quarter of 2002. This is the largest quarterly earnings
total ever reported by the industry, easily surpassing the
previous record of $27.3 billion set in the third quarter
of 2002. The industry's return on assets (ROA) also
reached a record level, rising to 1.38 percent from 1.29
percent a year ago. The previous record ROA for a
quarter was 1.37 percent, set in the second quarter of
2002. Almost two out of every three institutions (61.0
percent) reported higher earnings than a year ago, while
slightly more than half (50.3 percent) reported improved
ROAs.  Only 538 institutions reported a net loss for the
quarter, down from 669 in the first quarter of 2002.
This is the lowest number of unprofitable institutions
since 496 reported net losses in the first quarter of 1998.



Lower Credit Costs, Higher Nonrecurring Gains Boost
Profits
Lower interest rates boosted the market values of fixed-
rate securities, and insured institutions realized $3.7 bil-
lion in gains on securities sales in the first quarter,
compared to $1.3 billion in gains a year earlier. These
and other nonrecurring gains accounted for 41.4 percent
of the $4.0-billion increase in industry profits. A decline
in provisions for loan losses also helped the industry's


Chart 1


   First Quarter Net Income Surpasses Previous Record
   $ Billions
   40
         Securities and Other Gains/ Losses, Net
         Net Operating Income      1         1
  30                                  2294
         22    224  21           2272 1
  20

  10



     1  2 3  4  1 2  3 4  1 2  3  4 1  2 3  4  1
        1999      2000       2001      2002   2003


bottom line. Loss provisions for domestic operations
were $2.2 billion (19.9 percent) lower than a year ago,
the second consecutive quarter that credit expenses
have declined. In contrast, provisions for credit losses in
international operations were up by $261 million (26.2
percent). Noninterest income growth slowed for the
third consecutive quarter, but these revenues were still
up by $3.5 billion (8.0 percent) compared to the first
quarter of 2002. The increase was led by higher gains
from loan sales and gains on derivatives contracts, but
was limited by lower servicing income, which was below
the year-earlier level for a fourth consecutive quarter.
The large volume of mortgage refinancing activity con-
tinues to produce accelerated pre-payments of older,
higher-rate mortgages, which reduces the value of
lenders' mortgage servicing assets. Market-sensitive rev-
enues were generally weak. Trust income was $249 mil-
lion (4.8 percent) lower than a year ago, investment


A Publication of the Division of Insurance and Research


Media inquiries: 202-898-6993


FDIE

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