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Fifth Third Bancorp: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 20 January 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Diluted EPS of $1.04: Net income available to common shareholders was $699 million, up from $608 million in the prior quarter. Adjusted return on assets was 1.41%. Source
  • Net interest income rose 1%: FTE net interest income was $1,533 million, up $8 million from the prior quarter and up 6% from the year-ago quarter. Source
  • Net interest margin held at 3.13%: Net interest margin was flat sequentially at 3.13% and rose 16 bps from a year earlier. Higher average short-term investments, including interest-bearing cash, contributed to the flat margin. Source
  • Expenses rose 3% sequentially: Noninterest expense was $1.309 billion, with higher technology and communications and card and processing costs. Expense excluding certain items and deferred compensation was $1.273 billion. Source
  • Net charge-offs fell sharply: Net charge-offs were $125 million, and the ratio was 0.40% compared with 1.09% in the prior quarter. Source
  • CET1 ratio rose to 10.77%: The CET1 capital ratio rose 20 bps in the quarter, with earnings retained as capital. Source
  • Tangible book value rose 21%: Tangible book value per share was $22.60, up 21% year over year. Adjusted return on average tangible common equity excluding AOCI was 16.2%. Source

“Fifth Third delivered strong operating results in the fourth quarter and for the full year.”

Tim Spence, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President

What changed from last quarter

  • Ended: No share repurchases were made in the fourth quarter, which the company attributes to the pending Comerica acquisition. The prior quarter had $300 million of repurchases. Source
  • New: Shareholder and regulatory approvals for the Comerica transaction are reported as secured. Source

Earnings and results

  • Diluted EPS of $1.04: Net income available to common shareholders was $699 million, up from $608 million in the prior quarter. Adjusted return on assets was 1.41%. Source
  • Certain items cut EPS by $0.04: The net after-tax impact of certain items was $0.04 per diluted share, with a tax benefit and litigation settlements partly offsetting other items. Source
  • Full-year EPS of $3.53: Full-year 2025 diluted EPS was $3.53, against $3.14 in 2024. Full-year net income available to common shareholders was $2.4 billion. Source
  • Effective tax rate was 19.8%: The effective tax rate was 19.8%, compared with 22.6% in the prior quarter and 18.8% in the year-ago quarter. Source

Net interest income and margin

  • Net interest income rose 1%: FTE net interest income was $1,533 million, up $8 million from the prior quarter and up 6% from the year-ago quarter. Source
  • Lower funding costs supported income: Management attributed the improvement to deposit and wholesale funding actions that reduced the cost of interest-bearing liabilities. Source
  • Net interest margin held at 3.13%: Net interest margin was flat sequentially at 3.13% and rose 16 bps from a year earlier. Higher average short-term investments, including interest-bearing cash, contributed to the flat margin. Source
  • Record full-year net interest income: Management described full-year net interest income as a record, about $6 billion, up 6% year over year. Source

“Years of disciplined execution on strategic initiatives have positioned us to deliver sustained profitability as we integrate Comerica.”

Tim Spence, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President

Fee income and expenses

  • Noninterest income rose 4%: Noninterest income was $811 million, up $30 million from the prior quarter and up 11% from a year earlier. Excluding certain items it was $812 million. Source
  • Commercial banking revenue jumped: Commercial banking revenue rose 17% sequentially, mainly on lease syndication and remarketing. Commercial payments revenue rose 6%, led by commercial card and Newline. Source
  • Wealth fees grew with assets: Wealth and asset management revenue was up 13% year over year, while assets under management reached $80 billion. Source
  • Expenses rose 3% sequentially: Noninterest expense was $1.309 billion, with higher technology and communications and card and processing costs. Expense excluding certain items and deferred compensation was $1.273 billion. Source
  • Adjusted efficiency ratio at 54.3%: The adjusted efficiency ratio was 54.3%, an improvement of 50 bps year over year. The company cited 230 bps of positive operating leverage for 2025. Source

Credit quality and reserves

  • Net charge-offs fell sharply: Net charge-offs were $125 million, and the ratio was 0.40% compared with 1.09% in the prior quarter. Source
  • Commercial charge-offs eased: Consumer net charge-offs were $74 million, a 0.59% ratio, up 7 bps on seasonal increases in indirect secured losses. Source
  • Provision fell to $119 million: The provision was $119 million against $197 million last quarter. The allowance was 1.96% of portfolio loans, unchanged sequentially and 314% of nonperforming loans. Source
  • Nonperforming assets were stable: Nonperforming assets were $797 million, a 0.65% ratio, unchanged from the prior quarter. The nonperforming loan ratio was 0.62%. Source

“the result will be a Fifth Third that is better and not just bigger.”

Tim Spence, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President

Loans and deposits

  • Average loans held flat: Average portfolio loans were $123.4 billion, flat sequentially and up 5% from a year earlier. Average consumer loans rose 1%, driven by home equity and indirect secured growth. Source
  • Commercial loans fell at quarter end: Period-end commercial loans declined 1% even with the highest quarterly commercial production in over three years, because line utilization fell. Source
  • Average deposits rose 2%: Average deposits were $168.4 billion, up 2% sequentially, with demand deposits up 4% from a year earlier. Source
  • Loan-to-core deposit ratio fell to 72%: The loan-to-core deposit ratio dropped from 75% in the prior quarter. Average wholesale funding fell 14%, mainly on lower FHLB advances and long-term debt. Source

Capital, shareholder returns and growth

  • CET1 ratio rose to 10.77%: The CET1 capital ratio rose 20 bps in the quarter, with earnings retained as capital. Source
  • $1.6 billion returned in 2025: Management said the company returned $1.6 billion of capital to shareholders in 2025 while keeping its capital ratios high. Source
  • Tangible book value rose 21%: Tangible book value per share was $22.60, up 21% year over year. Adjusted return on average tangible common equity excluding AOCI was 16.2%. Source
  • Southeast branch expansion: The company opened 50 branches in its Southeast markets in 2025, with consumer households up 2.5% overall. Source

Coming up, as management said on 20 January 2026

  • Comerica closing date: Management expects the Comerica transaction to close on February 1, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Net interest margin Source3.13%
Net interest income Source$1,533 million (FTE)
Loans Source$123,430 million average portfolio loans and leases
Deposits Source$168,384 million average
Deposit costs Source2.60% rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities, down 40 bps year over year
Provision for credit losses Source$119 million
Net charge-offs Source0.40% ratio
Nonperforming assets Source0.65% ratio ($797 million)
CET1 ratio Source10.77%
Efficiency ratio Source55.8% (FTE); 54.3% adjusted

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Net charge-offs in the prior quarter included a fraud-related impairment of one commercial credit, a $178 million item. Source
  • External: Lower loan yields from market rates on floating rate loans partly offset the funding-cost gains in net interest income. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management says it remains confident in achieving the expected financial synergies from the pending acquisition. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.