U.S. Banks Rake In Record $40.3 Billion in Quarter

Business is clearly good again for the financial institutions that were rescued by American taxpayers just a few short years ago. Thanks in part to increased revenue from customer fees, U.S. banks’ profits soared to a record high for the first quarter of 2013, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported Wednesday. According to the FDIC, the banking industry earned $40.3 billion from January to March, the highest ever for a single quarter and a figure nearly 16 percent more than the same period a year ago.

The Associated Press via The Huffington Post:

Record profits show banks have come a long way from the 2008 financial crisis. But the report offered a reminder that the industry is still struggling to help the broader economy recover from the Great Recession.

Only about half of U.S. banks reported improved earnings from a year earlier, the lowest proportion since 2009. That shows the industry’s growth is being driven by a narrower group of the nation’s largest banks.

Those banks include Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. Most of them have recovered with help from federal bailout money and record-low borrowing rates.

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— Posted by Tracy Bloom.