Today's Analysis on Huntington Bancshares and Fifth Third Bancorp: Loans, Deposits and Credit Quality Positive

News provided by

Jan 25, 2013, 08:00 ET

LONDON, January 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Midwest banks such as Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) and Huntington Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ:HBAN) have been turning in stellar quarterly results of late. StockCall issues its technical and charting coverage on these two regional banks. These free reports are accessible for free at

http://www.stockcall.com/research

Several key metrics are working in favor of the industry, and with the economy continuing to show signs of improvement, 2013 could prove to be an impressive year for regional banks. Several banks have seen their quarterly financial results positively impacted by heightened loan activity as well as rising deposit levels. This was the case for Huntington Bancshares, as it recently reported that its full year 2012 net income came in at $641 million, an 18% increase over the prior year. Register now to have the full technical analysis on Huntington Bancshares at

http://www.StockCall.com/HBAN012513.pdf

Huntington saw its average total loans and leases jumped by 2% to $40.4 billion on the back of a 16% surge in average commercial and industrial loans to $16.5 billion. It also posted a 13% decline in its provision for loan losses which was at $39.5 million at the end of the fourth quarter, a clear indication that its credit metrics was pointing in the right direction. Furthermore, the regional bank's average total core deposits rose by 7% year-over-year which signified growth in money market deposits and average non-interest bearing demand deposits. However, this was in part offset by a drop in average core certificates of deposit. The company's CEO also stated that it benefited from strategic investments it made several years ago. All in all, this bank saw a strong 4^th quarter.

Conversely, Fifth Third Bancorp [Free Technical Research on FITB] ⁽¹⁾ also had an impressive 2012, as it made gains through quality loan production and fee income growth, among other things. The company saw its full year 2012 net income soar 22% year-over-year to $1.6 billion. Net charge-offs were also a plus, as in 2012 the company witnessed a year-over-year decline of 40%. The bank's recent quarterly released was a good sign that its credit trends were improving as its solid results for the fourth quarter was mainly a result of less costs linked to superior fees and bad loans.

Loans for Firth Third came close to $5 billion at the end of the quarter as it saw residential mortgages, commercial and industrial loans jump at double digit rate backed by a low interest rate environment and higher demand. The regional bank also reported a 5% rise in its average core deposits.

About StockCall.com

StockCall.com is a financial website where investors can have easy, precise and comprehensive research and opinions on stocks making the headlines. Sign up today to talk to our financial analyst at

http://www.stockcall.com

Footer: