The company set aside $1.2 billion in the first quarter to cover potential soured loans. Citigroup also made larger provisions for credit losses even as it brought in more revenue from clients' interest payments on credit cards.
Delinquency rates were rising as anticipated, but still stood below normal levels in the bank's "very high quality" loan portfolio, said Mark Mason, the bank's finance chief.
"We have tightened credit standards specifically as a result
of the current market environment in cards, we continue to
calibrate our credit underwriting based on what we're seeing
based on macroeconomic trends," Mason said.
Delinquency rates will probably return to "normal" levels of
3% to 3.5% for branded cards and 5% to 5.5% for retail services
by early 2024, Mason said. Current delinquency rates are 2.8%
for branded cards and 4% for retail services, according to
Citi's presentation on its earnings.
Bank of America provisioned $931 million for credit losses in the quarter, much higher than the $30 million a year prior, but below fourth quarter $1.1 billion provision. Total net charge-offs with credit reached $807 million, increasing from the former quarter but still below pre-pandemic levels, the bank said in its earnings release. "The consumer's in great shape in terms of credit quality by any historical standards. Employment remains good, wages remain good, and we haven't seen any cracks in that portfolio yet", Bank of America Chief Financial Officer Alastair Borthwick told reporters. Some of JPMorgan's customers were starting to fall behind on payments, but delinquency levels were still modest, said Jeremy Barnum, finance chief at the largest U.S. lender.
“We are not seeing a lot there to indicate a problem,” he
said.
The bank more than doubled the amount it set aside for
credit losses in the first quarter from a year earlier, to $2.3
billion, reflecting net charge-offs of $1.1 billion.
Worsening economic conditions would lead to "credit
deterioration throughout 2023 and 2024 with losses eventually
surpassing pre-pandemic levels given an oncoming recession,"
predicted UBS analysts led by Erika Najarian. Still, loan
defaults are forecast to stay "below the peaks experienced in
prior downturns," they said.
As large and medium-sized lenders become more conservative
in underwriting, their net charge offs will probably to peak in
several quarters, wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Betsy Graseck.
"This means slower loan growth" 2023 and 2024, she wrote.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
BofA profit beats estimates as it cashes in on higher interest
rates Goldman Sachs profit falls in first quarter as dealmaking
sputters JPMorgan amasses deposits as customers move money to largest
U.S. bank US bank giants ride rate rises, keep storm clouds at bay ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer; additional reporting by Saeed
Azhar; Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Nick Zieminski)
