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Update: U.S. Bancorp
Net interest income at USB was down again for the fourth consecutive quarter, confirming a trend across the banking industry
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Jan 22, 20245 min read


Banks Slow Walk Commercial Real Estate Losses
As reflected in the valuations for JPM, WFC and BXMT, institutional investors are still not that concerned about commercial real est losses
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Jan 18, 20247 min read


Citigroup Cannot Cut to Profitability
If Fraser cannot articulate a coherent reason to keep the business together, a breakup may be the most sensible strategy.
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Jan 15, 20247 min read


Bank Earnings Setup Q4 2023
Look for falling rates sooner rather than later as the Fed and other agencies prepare to resolve more bank failures in 2024.
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Jan 11, 20245 min read


Bank Reserves & Treasury Auctions
As the public debt of the US grows, after all, the implicit claim of the Treasury on all private US assets also grows.
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Jan 8, 20248 min read


Comments on Basel III Endgame
The Basel III proposal reflects a view of financial risks facing US banks that is decades out of date and ignores market risk
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Jan 3, 20243 min read


End of Fintech? Biden GSE Release?
Is AFRM maturing from a hot new fintech entrant to a familiar face headed for a bank license?? Yikes.
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Dec 31, 20237 min read


Update: Citigroup Fights for Credibility
Citigroup picked up almost 10 points of book value since the end of Q3 2023.
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Dec 21, 20237 min read


Stocks, Interest Rates and Reverse RPs
Simply stated, with T-bills trading significantly above the yield on RRPs, there is no reason for MMFs to leave cash at the Fed
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Dec 8, 20234 min read


Update: Bank of America
If you conduct a fire sale analysis of BAC's balance sheet as of Q3 2023, the result more than wipes out the bank's tangible equity
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Nov 8, 20235 min read


ACH: The Bank Deposit Ain't in the Mail
Was the breakdown of the normally stable and, indeed, routine workings of the Clearinghouse the result of bad actors?
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Nov 6, 20234 min read


Interest Rates, Fintech & MSRs
Regulatory skepticism about mortgage assets could effect financing rates for lenders, which means higher mortgage rates for consumers.
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Oct 26, 20239 min read


QE Means Higher for Longer, But No Recession
We look for modest rate cuts in 2025, followed by an equally modest boom in mortgage lending
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Oct 24, 20235 min read


Are Bank Stocks Undervalued? Which Ones & Why
Large universal banks that ply the capital markets and use essentially infinite leverage in the derivatives markets face challenges
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Oct 19, 20236 min read


Charles Schwab Unwinds the QE Trade
Rising interest rates are not good for bank earnings or bank equity valuations.
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Oct 17, 20234 min read


Bank Earnings Takeaways -- JPM, WFC and Citi
Bank earnings can be best described as cautiously mediocre, but as usual the Street proclaimed that three banks "beat the estimates"
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Oct 15, 20237 min read


FSOC Frets About Nonbank Risk; Goldman Sachs Stepping Back?
GS has the weakest position in terms of funding of the top-ten banks and no real narrative for the business post-Marcus.
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Sep 21, 20236 min read


Bank Industry Review & Survey Q3 2023
The US banking industry has seen now two consecutive down quarters for net income caused by the Fed’s massive open market operations
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Sep 11, 20233 min read


Markets Affirm the Unbearable Lightness of Fintech
When you are in a big crowd, nothing else matters.
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Sep 7, 20235 min read


Consumer Credit Collapsing? Not Yet...
Sadly for the bears in the audience, nothing would make the banks happier than if consumers would use more credit....
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Sep 5, 20236 min read
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