
Fifth Third Bancorp reaffirms annual interest income forecast despite uncertainty
April 17 (Reuters) - Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB.O), opens new tab reaffirmed the forecast for its annual net interest income growth on Thursday, as the lender banked on its ability to manage risks from the economic fallout of U.S. and China's escalating tariff war.
Regional banks like Fifth Third rely primarily on lending to small businesses and consumers, which are especially susceptible to any economic downturn. They also lack the scale and sizeable trading operations that typically shield larger peers during times of volatility.
But Fifth Third still expected its net interest income (NII) — the difference between what banks pay customers on deposits and earn as interest on loans — to grow between 5% and 6% this year.
"We remain proactive in managing our credit risk and stress testing our portfolio under many scenarios," CEO Tim Spence said.
The bank's NII rose 4% to $1.44 billion for the quarter ended March, driven by loan growth and lower deposit costs, in addition to fixed-rate asset repricing.
Average loans rose 3% in the quarter from a year earlier, driven by growth in commercial and consumer lending.
Fifth Third's net income available to common shareholders was $478 million, or 71 cents per share, in the quarter. It had earned $480 million, or 70 cents per share, a year earlier.
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based bank set aside $174 million as provision for credit losses, higher than $94 million a year earlier, amid mounting recession fears.
Shares of Fifth Third have fallen 19% in 2025, as of last close, lagging the 15% drop in the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX), opens new tab.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Powys County Times
20 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Evri to hire 5,000 more couriers after agreeing DHL tie-up
Evri is planning to hire 5,000 couriers in a fresh recruitment drive as the parcel giant takes on rivals after entering the business letter market. The Yorkshire-based firm recently announced it was joining forces with DHL's UK ecommerce arm to form one of the country's biggest delivery firms. It said the new roles would bring its total self-employed courier network to 33,000, its highest number. The roles will be available throughout the UK, with a focus on regions including Plymouth, Bury, Hastings, Dover and Scarborough. About 1,000 of the new jobs will be permanent, while the rest are set to be flexible positions to cater to the typically busy summer months and other peak periods for deliveries. Couriers who commit to working five or more days a week, including Saturday and Sunday, are also given the chance to opt in to its revamped 'Evri Plus' scheme, which includes paid holiday and automatic enrolment into a pension scheme. Evri, which was previously part of the Hermes parcel group, was bought by US private equity firm Apollo for around £2.7 billion last year. It announced plans last month to merge with rival DHL's UK ecommerce business to create a combined company set to deliver more than one billion parcels and one billion letters each year. The deal means Evri will enter the UK business letter market for the first time, bolstering its competition to Royal Mail. Evri has spent £32 million on improving its customer service offering and has seen an improvement in its ratings over recent years, but has said there is 'more to do' to improve with customers continuing to report delivery issues. Chief executive Martijn de Lange said: 'We know that service, reliability and quality are critical factors for our clients and consumers, and so by expanding our self-employed network further, we remain focused on delivering in each of those areas.' Couriers typically earn about £20.90 an hour on average, according to Evri.


Glasgow Times
20 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Evri to hire 5,000 more couriers after agreeing DHL tie-up
The Yorkshire-based firm recently announced it was joining forces with DHL's UK ecommerce arm to form one of the country's biggest delivery firms. It said the new roles would bring its total self-employed courier network to 33,000, its highest number. The roles will be available throughout the UK, with a focus on regions including Plymouth, Bury, Hastings, Dover and Scarborough. About 1,000 of the new jobs will be permanent, while the rest are set to be flexible positions to cater to the typically busy summer months and other peak periods for deliveries. Couriers who commit to working five or more days a week, including Saturday and Sunday, are also given the chance to opt in to its revamped 'Evri Plus' scheme, which includes paid holiday and automatic enrolment into a pension scheme. Evri is to join forces with DHL's UK ecommerce arm (DHL/PA) Evri, which was previously part of the Hermes parcel group, was bought by US private equity firm Apollo for around £2.7 billion last year. It announced plans last month to merge with rival DHL's UK ecommerce business to create a combined company set to deliver more than one billion parcels and one billion letters each year. The deal means Evri will enter the UK business letter market for the first time, bolstering its competition to Royal Mail. Evri has spent £32 million on improving its customer service offering and has seen an improvement in its ratings over recent years, but has said there is 'more to do' to improve with customers continuing to report delivery issues. Chief executive Martijn de Lange said: 'We know that service, reliability and quality are critical factors for our clients and consumers, and so by expanding our self-employed network further, we remain focused on delivering in each of those areas.' Couriers typically earn about £20.90 an hour on average, according to Evri.


North Wales Chronicle
38 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Evri to hire 5,000 more couriers after agreeing DHL tie-up
The Yorkshire-based firm recently announced it was joining forces with DHL's UK ecommerce arm to form one of the country's biggest delivery firms. It said the new roles would bring its total self-employed courier network to 33,000, its highest number. The roles will be available throughout the UK, with a focus on regions including Plymouth, Bury, Hastings, Dover and Scarborough. About 1,000 of the new jobs will be permanent, while the rest are set to be flexible positions to cater to the typically busy summer months and other peak periods for deliveries. Couriers who commit to working five or more days a week, including Saturday and Sunday, are also given the chance to opt in to its revamped 'Evri Plus' scheme, which includes paid holiday and automatic enrolment into a pension scheme. Evri, which was previously part of the Hermes parcel group, was bought by US private equity firm Apollo for around £2.7 billion last year. It announced plans last month to merge with rival DHL's UK ecommerce business to create a combined company set to deliver more than one billion parcels and one billion letters each year. The deal means Evri will enter the UK business letter market for the first time, bolstering its competition to Royal Mail. Evri has spent £32 million on improving its customer service offering and has seen an improvement in its ratings over recent years, but has said there is 'more to do' to improve with customers continuing to report delivery issues. Chief executive Martijn de Lange said: 'We know that service, reliability and quality are critical factors for our clients and consumers, and so by expanding our self-employed network further, we remain focused on delivering in each of those areas.' Couriers typically earn about £20.90 an hour on average, according to Evri.