Financial Services

JP Morgan reports better than expected quarterly profit

Biggest US bank by assets said borrowings increased in all major areas

JP Morgan’s borrowing business increased across residential mortgages, business loans, credit cards, and even auto loans, an area where some lenders have been pulling back.

Fri Jul 14 2017 - 13:43

JPMorgan Chase & Co, the biggest US bank by assets, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Friday due to strong loan growth and higher interest rates.

The bank’s borrowing business increased across residential mortgages, business loans, credit cards, and even auto loans, an area where some lenders have been pulling back.

Its average core loan book grew 8 percent in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, while higher interest rates helped JPMorgan earn more money on them.

"The U.S. consumer remains healthy," chief executive Jamie Dimon said in a statement.

READ MORE

Overall net income rose 13 per cent to $7.03 billion (€6.15 billion) from $6.2 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Its stock dropped 1.5 per cent to $91.74 in premarket trading. JPMorgan shares have risen 7.9 per cent this year, mirroring gains in the broader S&P 500 Financial Index.

Fed rate rise

The Federal Reserve lifted interest rates for the second time this year in June. Rising rates are usually good for banks, allowing them to increase how much they charge for loans faster than they boost how much they pay for deposits.

But as JPMorgan’s loan book has expanded, it has also set aside more money for borrowers who do not repay their debts.

In credit cards, where it has been growing aggressively, the bank built loan-loss reserves by $252 million as the business’s charge-off rate ticked above 3 per cent, an increase from both the prior and year-ago periods.

JPMorgan executives have told investors to expect credit card loss rates to go up as the company makes more loans. On newer card accounts, the bank sees charge-off rates of about 4.5 per cent, Gordon Smith, head of consumer banking, said at an investor conference in June.

Trading revenue was a dark spot for JPMorgan as volatility hit multiyear lows. But executives across Wall Street have been warning investors to look for declines because the year-ago quarter benefited from a surge in trading around the UK’s Brexit vote.

JPMorgan’s markets revenue dropped 14 per cent to $3.22 billion, mostly due to fixed income trading. It was the first decline in five quarters.

Wells Fargo & Co and Citigroup Inc both reported results on Friday

- (Reuters)

LATEST STORIES