Bank of America profits swing higher
2012-07-18 17:46:00
Bank of America profits swung higher in the second quarter, the firm announced Wednesday, as it reported net income of US$2.5 billion.
That was up markedly from the same period last year, when one-off accounting charges -- designed to guard against liabilities -- saw the bank post a loss of US$8.8 billion.
But last year's charges masked what was otherwise a weaker performance by the bank last quarter.
Revenues at the firm's consumer and business banking units were down from US$8.7 billion in the second quarter last year to US$7.3 billion in the same quarter this year.
Revenues at the global banking, global markets and global wealth and investment divisions were all down.
Brian Moynihan, chief executive officer, put a positive spin on the numbers.
"Lending to commercial businesses increased for the sixth straight quarter -- with small business lending and commitments up 23 per cent in a year -- and consumer credit is in the best shape in years," he said.