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July 14 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo (WFC.N) raised its annual forecast for net interest income (NII) after its profit surged 57% in the second quarter, sending shares up 4% in premarket trading. NII climbed 29% to $13.16 billion, benefiting from higher interest rates as Wells Fargo and other banks raised their borrowing costs following a series of rate hikes by the Federal Reserve to tame inflation. Wells Fargo reported profit of $1.25 per share for the three months ended June 30, beating analysts' average estimate of $1.16 per share, according to Refinitiv data. REAL ESTATE WOESThe provision for credit losses included a $949 million increase in the allowance for potential losses in commercial real estate (CRE) office loans, as well as for higher credit card loan balances. Wells Fargo is still operating under an asset cap that prevents it from growing until regulators deem that it has fixed problems from a fake accounts scandal.

Persons: Wells, NII, Charlie Scharf, CRE, Michael Santomassimo, Wells Fargo, Scharf, JPMorgan Chase, Noor Zainab Hussain, Manya, Saeed Azhar, Lananh Nguyen, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Federal Reserve, U.S, Wells, JPMorgan, First, Bank, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: U.S, Wells Fargo, Bengaluru, New York

July 14 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) reported a bigger-than-expected jump in second-quarter profit as it earned more from borrowers' interest payments and benefited from the purchase of First Republic Bank. The bank bought a majority of failed First Republic Bank's assets in a government-backed deal in May after weeks of industry turbulence. That bolstered its net interest income (NII), which measures the difference between what banks earn on loans and pay out on deposits. The bank's NII, which has also been gaining from high interest rates, was $21.9 billion, up 44%, or up 38% excluding First Republic. JPMorgan plans to cut around 500 jobs across different divisions, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters in May.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, Octavio Marenzi, Dimon, Niket Nishant, Noor Zainab Hussain, Nupur Anand, Bansari Mayur, Lananh Nguyen, Saumyadeb Organizations: JPMorgan, First Republic Bank, First Republic, Wall, Investment, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Republic, Federal, Bengaluru, New York

☆ U.S. banks point to resilient but slowing economy, flag risks ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. consumers still have a healthy balance sheet, the banks said, but warned spending was slowing and there had been a modest deterioration in some consumer debt. "The U.S. economy continues to be resilient," JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said. Investors have worried that high interest rates could push the economy into a recession, but the outlook remains uncertain. Wells CEO Charlie Scharf said the range of scenarios for the economy should narrow over the next few quarters. For now, the economy is performing better than many expected but will likely continue slowing.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo WFC.N, Wells, Jamie Dimon, Jeremy Barnum, Charlie Scharf, Larry Fink, Wells Fargo, Scharf, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Niket Nishant, Noor Zainab Hussain, Mehnaz Yasmin, Manya, Nupur Anand, Saeed Azhar, Megan Davies, Paritosh Bansal, Nick Zieminski Organizations: JPMorgan, Citigroup, Citi, Federal Reserve, CNBC, Wells, Bank of America, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: Wells, U.S, Bengaluru, New York

☆ U.S. property catastrophe reinsurance rates rise up to 50% on July 1-report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Higher reinsurance rates can affect the premiums which insurers charge to their customers. U.S. reinsurance rates for policies which previously faced claims for natural catastrophes rose 30-50%, Gallagher Re said. Reinsurance rates for similar policies in Florida rose 30-40%, the broker added. State Farm said in May it would stop selling new insurance policies to homeowners in California. Reinsurance rates for some types of aviation war policies rose by up to 100% on the July 1 renewal date, Gallagher Re said.

Persons: Mike Blake, Gallagher Re, James Vickers, Gallagher, Hurricane Ian, Aon, Carolyn Cohn, Noor Zainab Hussain, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Farm, Gallagher Re, Reuters, Vickers, Hurricane, U.S, Industry, Boeing, Thomson Locations: Laguna Niguel , California, U.S, California, Florida, In Florida, Russia, Khartoum, London, Bengaluru

☆ Iran: Journalists who reported on Mahsa Amini's death stand trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two journalists responsible for breaking the story of Mahsa Amini, the Kurdish-Iranian woman killed after being held in custody by Iran’s morality police last year, stood trial in an Iranian court this week. The two women separately stood trial on Monday and Tuesday in a revolutionary court presided over by notorious judge Abolghasem Salavati, according to Iranian pro-reform outlet SharghDaily. Protesters in downtown Tehran, Iran, after the death Mahsa Amini. Mohammadi, who also stood trial in a separate hearing, was arrested after reporting on Amini’s funeral in September, according to RSF and the UN. Hamedi, Mohammadi and another detained journalist, Narges Mohammadi, were awarded the prestigious 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for outstanding contribution to press freedom.

Persons: Mahsa Amini, Niloufar, Elaheh, Abolghasem Salavati, Amini, Hamedi, SharghDaily, Mohammad Hossein Ajorloo, Mohammadi, RSF, Narges Mohammadi, Guillermo Cano, ” Zainab Salbi Organizations: CNN, UN, Twitter, UNESCO, “ Locations: Kurdish, Iran, Tehran

☆ Insurer AIG exceeds profit estimates on strong underwriting gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 4 (Reuters) - American International Group Inc (AIG.N) beat market estimates for first-quarter profit on Thursday, as record underwriting gains cushioned the blow from lower alternative investment returns. AIG, one of the world's biggest commercial insurers, said net premiums written in its general insurance for the quarter ended March grew 5% to $6.97 billion. Total consolidated net investment income rose 9% to $3.5 billion, partially offset by lower alternative investment income, AIG said. The New York-based company's general insurance underwriting income rose 13% to $502 million, its strongest first-quarter underwriting results, the insurer said. The general insurance accident year combined ratio was 88.7%, compared with 89.5%, a year earlier.

☆ Insurer Travelers profit falls as costs from severe storms bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 19 (Reuters) - Property and casualty insurer Travelers Companies Inc (TRV.N) on Wednesday reported a fall in quarterly profit, hurt by severe wind and hail storms in parts of the United States in March. The storms pushed up the insurer's catastrophe losses net of reinsurance to $535 million from $160 million a year earlier. Two U.S. lenders crumbled after a flight of deposits spiraled out of control last month, sparking a global crisis that shook investor confidence in the banking industry and rattled markets. The turbulence has since subsided after intervention by regulators, but analysts have warned the banking industry will suffer long-term repercussions. Travelers' profit was helped by a 4% rise in net investment income to $663 million.

☆ Insurer Travelers profit falls on U.S. storm costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 19 (Reuters) - Property and casualty insurer Travelers Companies Inc (TRV.N) on Wednesday reported a 6% fall in quarterly profit, hurt by severe wind and hail storms in parts of the United States in March. The storms pushed up the insurer's catastrophe losses net of reinsurance to $535 million from $160 million a year earlier. Two U.S. lenders crumbled after a flight of deposits spiraled out of control last month, sparking a global crisis that shook investor confidence in the banking industry and rattled markets. The turbulence has since subsided after intervention by regulators, but analysts have warned the banking industry will suffer long-term repercussions. Travelers' profit was helped in part by a 4% rise in net investment income to $663 million.

April 18 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc's (GS.N) profit fell 19% as dealmaking and bond trading slumped in the first quarter and it lost money on the sale of some assets in its consumer business. Goldman booked a $470 million loss on the sale of some loans from Marcus, dragging down first quarter results. The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. But deposits held in the Marcus business remain core to Goldman and are not under review, a source familiar with the matter had told Reuters earlier this year. Goldman's lackluster trading results contrast with those of Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), which also reported earnings on Tuesday.

Wells Fargo fared less favorably, down 0.3%, and regional banks including Zions (ZION.O) and First Republic (FRC.N) fell. Net interest income, a measure of how much a bank earns from lending, surged 49% to $20.8 billion. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo set aside $1.21 billion in the quarter to cover for potential loan losses, compared to a release of $787 million a year earlier. "While most consumers remain resilient, we've seen some consumer financial health trends gradually weakening from a year ago," Mike Santomassimo, Wells Fargo finance chief, told analysts. More banking results are due over the coming week, including Bank of America (BAC.N) and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) on Tuesday and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) on Wednesday.

Wells Fargo executives detailed the bank's exposure to CRE at length during a conference call with analysts. Deposits at Wells Fargo fell 2% to $1.36 trillion at the end of March, compared with $1.38 trillion at the end of last year. "Both Wells Fargo and JP Morgan delivered very, very solid results, blowing past the expected earnings. Reuters GraphicsAverage loans in the bank's commercial banking division rose 15%, while commercial loans rose roughly 7% from a year earlier. Wells Fargo is also still working to contain the fallout from a scandal over its sales practices that led to hefty fines and an asset cap imposed by the Fed.

[1/2] The Citigroup Inc (Citi) logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada October 19, 2017. First-quarter 2023 earnings from JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Citigroup Inc (C.N) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) beat Wall Street expectations on Friday as consumer and corporate spending held up in the face of rate rises, although all three saw signs of a slowdown and made provisions accordingly. Net interest income, a measure of how much a bank earns from lending, surged 49% to $20.8 billion. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo set aside $1.21 billion in the quarter to cover for potential loan losses, compared to a release of $787 million a year earlier. "While most consumers remain resilient, we've seen some consumer financial health trends gradually weakening from a year ago," Mike Santomassimo, Wells Fargo finance chief, told analysts.

☆ Wells Fargo profit rises 32% as higher rates bolster interest income
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 14 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co's (WFC.N) profit jumped 32% in the first quarter as it earned more from interest rate payments, helped by the U.S. Federal Reserve's tighter monetary policy, the lender reported Friday. The bank, however, set aside $1.21 billion in the quarter to cover for potential loan losses, compared to a release of $787 million a year earlier. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last month prompted a rout in bank stocks as investors fretted over broader weaknesses in the industry. Deposits at Wells Fargo fell 2% to $1.36 trillion at the end of March, compared with $1.38 trillion at the end of last year. Overall, non-interest expenses fell to $13.68 billion from $13.85 billion a year earlier, mainly driven by lower operating losses.

☆ 5 Festive Dishes for an Easy Eid Lunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Zainab Shah | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Maryam Jillani remembers the fervor around Eid al-Fitr celebrations ushered in by the end of Ramadan (also known as Ramzan), the month of fasting and spiritual contemplation for Muslims. Endless meals included biryanis and kofta, lamb in its various iterations, milky-syrupy desserts, all laid out on embroidered tablecloths, among the good china and silverware, in drawing rooms across the Muslim world. One year, when milk for kheer was slowly reducing over the stovetop, it boiled over just as the blender I was using to make nimbu pani erupted. My husband, in pajamas readying for bed, asked, “Who is this for?”“I’m having fun, OK!” I yelled back. Meeting and sharing a meal was enough of a reason to celebrate, no matter the scale.

☆ Nigeria gets World Bank funding for social program ahead of fuel subsidy cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A participant stands near a logo of World Bank at the International Monetary Fund - World Bank Annual Meeting 2018 in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, October 12, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoABUJA, April 5 (Reuters) - Nigeria has secured $800 million from the World Bank to scale up its national social program ahead of the removal of its costly but popular subsidies on petrol in June, Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed said on Wednesday. Ahmed said the government was considering cash transfers and mass transit buses for workers to ease the pain of the subsidy removal on the most vulnerable segment of its population. She added that the country has registered ten million households, which is equivalent to 50 million people on its vulnerable list. Ahmed said discussions were going on at different levels of government and with members of the incoming administration of President-elect Bola Tinubu on the subsidy removal.

☆ VIEW SVB meltdown triggers global drop in bank shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 10 (Reuters) - The failure of troubled tech-lender SVB Financial Group's (SIVB.O) efforts to raise capital through a stock sale rippled through global markets on Friday and sent shares of many banks tumbling. read moreShares of SVB, which does business as Silicon Valley Bank, were halted on Friday after tumbling as much as 66% earlier in premarket trading. The S&P 500 banks index (.SPXBK) dropped 0.63% on Friday after a 6.6% decline on Thursday, while the KBW Regional Banking index (.KRX) was down 2.3%. Europe's STOXX banking index (.SX7P) fell almost 5%, tracking toward its biggest one-day percentage slide since June 2022. If investors are concerned about deposit flow, why punish the stocks who have sticky, operational retail checking deposits?

[1/2] European Central Bank and SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) logos are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. SVB, which does business as Silicon Valley Bank, was not immediately available for comment. "Silicon Valley Bank is shedding light on vulnerabilities across the US banking sector, primarily in the bond holdings that many large institutions hold," said Karl Schamotta, Chief Market Strategist at Corpay. “The current liquidity run on Silicon Valley Bank is having a knock-on effect on the wider banking system," said Rick Seehra, Prudential Lead at Bovill. But banking experts said SVB's issues were unique and the worries about the broader sector were not warranted.

The S&P 500 banks index (.SPXBK) dropped 6.6% on Thursday and was set to open lower again on Friday. The crisis at SVG was feeding growing investor concerns that banks will be vulnerable to the rising cost of money. In an unusual step, Commerzbank, one of Germany's largest banks, issued a statement, playing down any threat from SVB, saying it did not see "a corresponding risk for us". "The market is treating this as a potential contagion risk," said Antoine Bouvet, senior rates strategist at ING in London. A spike in interest rates has led to a sell-off in bonds, leaving banks exposed to potential losses on the securities they hold.

[1/3] The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. The investment bank will outline the path to profit for its Platform Solutions unit, which houses Goldman's transaction banking, credit card and financial technology businesses, it said. It is also considering "strategic alternatives" for its consumer platforms, Solomon said, without specifying what those options would be. Chief Executive David Solomon's performance and his plans for growth will also be scrutinized by investors and analysts. Observers will focus on his plans to decrease Goldman's reliance on trading and investment banking, which can be whipsawed by market volatility.

Bed Bath said it was planning to raise just over $1 billion through sales of preferred stock and warrants and from securities when the warrants are exercised. Bed Bath will receive a waiver on its recent bank default should the proposed offering succeed, the company said. Bed Bath & Beyond also appointed Holly Etlin, a bankruptcy expert, as interim chief financial officer. "It’s a similar situation in which a deeply financially distressed company is attempting to sell securities," said Lynn LoPucki, a professor at the University of Florida. Sources have told Reuters that Bed Bath & Beyond has lined up liquidators to close additional stores unless a last-minute buyer emerges.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond moves to raise $1 bln as bankruptcy clouds loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Noor Zainab Hussain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.O) said on Monday it was planning to raise some $1 billion through an offering of preferred stock and warrants, in a last-ditch effort to stave off bankruptcy. Bed Bath said it was planning to raise about $225 million through an offering of Series A convertible preferred stock and an additional $800 million by issuing securities to buy shares of preferred stock in future installments. Bed Bath will receive a waiver on its recent bank default should the proposed offering succeed, the company said. On Monday, Bed Bath said it planned to close an additional 150 stores, on top of 250 previously announced store closures. Sources have told Reuters that Bed Bath & Beyond has lined up liquidators to close additional stores unless a last-minute buyer emerges.

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Nigeria's government bonds fell heavily on Monday after ratings agency Moody's downgraded the West African oil producer late on Friday to Caa1 from B3, saying the government's fiscal and debt position was expected to keep deteriorating. Longer-dated bonds were down the most, with the dollar-denominated 2051 Eurobond falling more than 2.8 cents in the dollar to 68.758 cents according to Tradeweb data . Nigeria's bonds had outperformed other African and emerging market issuers over the last six months, according to JPMorgan. "Immediate default risk is low, assuming no sudden, unexpected events such as another shock or shift in policy direction," Moody's added. Moody's said it expects just the interest payments on Nigeria's debt to take up about half of the government's revenue in the medium term, up from 35% in 2022.

☆ Insurer Travelers profit falls on winter storm costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Property and casualty insurer Travelers Companies Inc (TRV.N) reported a 37% fall in quarterly profit on Tuesday, hurt by losses related to a winter storm that swept across the United States and Canada in the last week of 2022. The winter storm pushed up the insurer's catastrophe losses net of reinsurance to $459 million from $36 million last year. A dangerously frigid Arctic air mass gripped a vast expanse of the United States in late December, bringing floods, power outages, mudslides, evacuations and road closures. Travelers' profit was also hit by a fall in net investment income to $625 million from $743 million a year earlier. A ratio below 100% means the insurer earned more in premiums than it paid out in claims.

☆ Amazon, Facing Questions Over Workplace Safety, Also Probed on Bank Dealings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The office has deployed the 1989 law at the same time the Labor Department presses a workplace safety investigation of Amazon that has already led to several citations. The office also wants video surveillance footage of Amazon facilities and has served subpoenas to take testimony from Amazon employees, including high-level executives, according to Ms. Ahmad. Amazon in court papers in the case in Seattle said the information demands are “unrealistic” and the U.S. Attorney’s Office stretched to assert jurisdiction under Firrea. Any fraud case against Amazon would turn on whether the company had made misrepresentations to lenders and whether those misrepresentations impacted their decision-making, he said. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan didn’t respond to a request for information on the identities of the financial institutions whose dealings with Amazon are under scrutiny.

☆ The global tax deal won't help countries to change their tax rates, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe global tax deal won't help countries to change their tax rates, economist saysA panel moderated by CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche discusses the challenges of global tax reform. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, minister of finance for Nigeria, Mathias Cormann, secretary-general at the OECD, Gabriel Zucman, director at the EU Tax Observatory, and Faisal Alibrahim, minister of economy and planning of Saudi Arabia, joined the panel.

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