7:19 AM
Wells, US Bancorp profit up as credit improves
Addison Ray
By Joe Rauch
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina | Wed Jan 19, 2011 9:19am EST
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Two of the 10 largest U.S. banks reported much higher fourth-quarter profits, helped by lower credit costs.
Both San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N), the fourth-largest U.S. bank, and Minneapolis-based US Bancorp (USB.N) also both saw higher revenues contribute to healthy net income.
Compared with some of their chief rivals, both banks are showing more signs of recovering from the nearly 3-year-old financial crisis and recession.
US Bancorp posted a 61 percent jump in net income as the regional bank released $25 million in loan loss reserves. The move was the first by the company since the financial crisis began in 2008.
The bank's earnings per share of 49 cents beat analysts' estimates by 3 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Wells Fargo posted a 21 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit, helped by double-digit revenue growth in multiple business units.
The bank said earnings rose to $3.4 billion, or 61 cents a share, meeting analysts' expectations.
Wells Fargo shares were down 1 percent at $32.15 in premarket trading, and U.S. Bancorp was down 1 cent at $27.30 as weak results from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) pressured financial stocks overall.
(Reporting by Joe Rauch; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
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