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Fifth Third Bancorp: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 19 October 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Diluted EPS of $0.90: Net income available to common shareholders was $828 million, or $0.90 per diluted share, against $763 million and $0.83 in the prior quarter. Source
  • Adjusted EPS excludes $0.23 of items: Adjusted EPS was $1.13. The $0.23 excluded was mainly merger-related charges, with interchange litigation and technology-related asset impairments also excluded. Source
  • Net interest income rose 3%: Net interest income on an FTE basis rose to $2.28 billion, with the rise attributed to higher market rates, fixed-rate asset repricing, investment portfolio management and loan growth. Source
  • Expenses fell 3% sequentially: Noninterest expense was $2.05 billion, down 3% from the prior quarter. Excluding certain items and non-qualified deferred compensation, expense fell 2% to $1.82 billion. Source
  • Average deposits up 3%: Average deposits were $238 billion, up 3% sequentially, with core deposits up 3%. Growth came from operational deposits, the Southwest retail campaign and migrated Comerica sweep balances. Source
  • Net charge-offs stable at 31 bps: Net charge-offs were $139 million, or 0.31% of average portfolio loans, against $135 million or 0.30% in the prior quarter. Commercial NCO ratio was 0.22% and consumer 0.52%. Source
  • CET1 ratio rose to 10.02%: The CET1 ratio was 10.02%, up from 9.93%. Capital generated through earnings was partly offset by growth in risk-weighted assets. Source
  • Comerica systems conversion completed: Management said the systems conversion was finished less than a year after the acquisition was announced, with client and banker retention described as strong. Source

“Fifth Third's third quarter reflected the earnings power of the combined company.”

Tim Spence, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The Comerica systems conversion is reported complete. The prior quarter had it scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Source
  • New: Certain Comerica legacy deposit products were simplified into interest checking products, shifting balances out of commercial savings and money market. Source

Earnings and profit measures

  • Diluted EPS of $0.90: Net income available to common shareholders was $828 million, or $0.90 per diluted share, against $763 million and $0.83 in the prior quarter. Source
  • Adjusted EPS excludes $0.23 of items: Adjusted EPS was $1.13. The $0.23 excluded was mainly merger-related charges, with interchange litigation and technology-related asset impairments also excluded. Source
  • Pre-tax income up 7% sequentially: Income before income taxes on an FTE basis was $1,113 million, compared with $1,041 million in the prior quarter and $842 million a year earlier. Source
  • Year-to-date diluted EPS down 22%: Year-to-date diluted EPS was $1.94, against $2.49 a year earlier, a decline of 22%. Average diluted shares rose to 888 million year-to-date from 674 million. Source
  • Commercial Banking leads segment pre-tax income: Segment income before taxes on an FTE basis: Commercial Banking $818 million, Consumer and Small Business Banking $656 million, Wealth and Asset Management $106 million, and General Corporate and Other $(467) million. Source

Net interest income and margin

  • Net interest income rose 3%: Net interest income on an FTE basis rose to $2.28 billion, with the rise attributed to higher market rates, fixed-rate asset repricing, investment portfolio management and loan growth. Source
  • Margin eased two basis points: Net interest margin was 3.34%, down 2 bps from 3.36% in the prior quarter and up 21 bps from 3.13% a year earlier. Source
  • Funding costs rose on market rates: The rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities rose 6 bps to 2.50%, while the yield on interest-earning assets rose 4 bps to 5.15%. Source

“Multiple sources of low-cost deposits and limited exposure to the borrowers most sensitive to higher rates give us flexibility regardless of the rate environment.”

Tim Spence, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President

Fee income and products

  • Fee income fell 5% sequentially: Noninterest income was $1.01 billion, down $51 million sequentially and up $227 million, or 29%, from the year-ago quarter. Excluding certain items it rose 1% to $1.05 billion. Source
  • Capital markets fees fell 5%: Capital markets fees were $147 million, down from $154 million, with higher corporate bond fees offset by lower M&A advisory and loan syndication activity. Source
  • Wealth revenue rose on trust fees: Wealth and asset management revenue was $259 million, up 1% sequentially and 43% from a year earlier, led by institutional trust and personal asset management revenue. Source
  • Mortgage banking revenue up 21%: Mortgage banking net revenue was $47 million, up 21% from $39 million in the prior quarter and down 19% from a year earlier. Source

Expenses and merger charges

  • Expenses fell 3% sequentially: Noninterest expense was $2.05 billion, down 3% from the prior quarter. Excluding certain items and non-qualified deferred compensation, expense fell 2% to $1.82 billion. Source
  • Merger charges about $1.04 billion year-to-date: Pre-tax merger-related charges increased noninterest expense by $215 million in the quarter, and the company reported the year-to-date total as consistent with the integration timeline. Source
  • Compensation fell 13%: Compensation and benefits were $982 million, down from $1,129 million in the prior quarter, while technology and communications rose 20% to $300 million. Source
  • Adjusted efficiency ratio improved: The adjusted efficiency ratio was 54.6%, against 57.1% in the prior quarter. The reported efficiency ratio on an FTE basis was 62.4%, against 64.3%. Source

“We are building a Fifth Third that is better and not just bigger.”

Tim Spence, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President

Loan balances and mix

  • Average loans up 1%: Average portfolio loans and leases were $179.2 billion, up 1% sequentially, reflecting about $1.5 billion of commercial growth while consumer loans were broadly stable. Source
  • Commercial growth led by construction and C&I: Period-end portfolio loans reached $180.3 billion, up 1%. Construction and C&I originations led commercial growth, partly offset by elevated payoffs. Source
  • Solar loans running off: Home equity grew while solar energy installation loans declined as expected, reflecting planned runoff in that portfolio. Source

Deposits and funding

  • Average deposits up 3%: Average deposits were $238 billion, up 3% sequentially, with core deposits up 3%. Growth came from operational deposits, the Southwest retail campaign and migrated Comerica sweep balances. Source
  • Loan-to-core deposit ratio improved: The period-end portfolio loan-to-core deposit ratio was 76%, down from 77%, as deposit growth modestly outpaced loan growth. Source
  • Wholesale funding down 10%: Average wholesale funding fell to $23 billion. The decline was mainly in long-term debt and FHLB advances. Source
  • Deposit costs rose on market rates: The rate paid on interest-bearing deposit balances was 2.24%, and higher market rates and migrated sweep balances raised deposit costs. Source

Credit quality

  • Net charge-offs stable at 31 bps: Net charge-offs were $139 million, or 0.31% of average portfolio loans, against $135 million or 0.30% in the prior quarter. Commercial NCO ratio was 0.22% and consumer 0.52%. Source
  • Provision eased to $122 million: The provision for credit losses was $122 million, down from $129 million. The ACL ratio was 1.74%, against 1.76% in the prior quarter. Source
  • Nonperforming asset ratio rose: The NPA ratio rose to 0.64% from 0.60%. Credit quality was otherwise described as stable, with delinquencies and nonperforming balances broadly unchanged sequentially. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • CET1 ratio rose to 10.02%: The CET1 ratio was 10.02%, up from 9.93%. Capital generated through earnings was partly offset by growth in risk-weighted assets. Source
  • No share repurchases this period: The company did not repurchase common shares in the quarter or year-to-date. Cash dividends per common share were $0.42, up from $0.40. Source
  • Tangible book value per share declined: Tangible book value per share including AOCI was $22.01, against $23.22 in the prior quarter. Excluding AOCI it was $27.43, up from $26.84. Source

Comerica integration and franchise

  • Comerica systems conversion completed: Management said the systems conversion was finished less than a year after the acquisition was announced, with client and banker retention described as strong. Source
  • Priorities unchanged: stability, profitability, growth: Management said it will continue to be guided by its operating priorities, in the order of stability, profitability and growth. Source
  • Deposit share gains in Southeast and Comerica markets: Management cited FDIC data showing deposit share gains in the Southeast and new gains in Comerica's Michigan, Texas and California markets. Source
  • Consumer household growth led by Southeast: Consumer household growth was 7% in the Southeast and 8% in the Southwest, according to the key highlights. Source
  • Full-time employees down 1%: Full-time equivalent employees were 25,069, down 1% from 25,197 in the prior quarter and up 36% from a year earlier. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management described a more volatile environment and rising competition for deposits. Source
  • External: Late-quarter market volatility slowed M&A advisory and loan syndication activity. Source
  • Financial: Deposit costs rose from higher market rates and from migrated Comerica sweep balances now in interest-bearing deposits. Source
  • Financial: OREO rose to $81 million, including branch-related real estate no longer used for banking, mainly from the Comerica acquisition. Source
  • Regulatory: Interchange litigation matters added expense and reduced noninterest income in the quarter. 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.