Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB 0.23%), a leading U.S. regional bank known for its consumer and commercial banking operations, posted its second quarter 2025 results on July 17, 2025. The main news was its solid beat on both earnings and revenue: earnings per share came in at $0.88, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.87, while revenue reached $2,251 million against a $2,220.15 million estimate. Net interest income, a key measure of banking profitability, jumped 7.7 % from the prior year. Despite flat deposits and continued modest growth in noninterest income, the bank improved its efficiency and credit quality remained strong. Overall, the quarter delivered stable growth alongside ongoing discipline in expenses and risk.
| Metric | Q2 2025 | Q2 2025 Estimate | Q2 2024 | Y/Y Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPS (GAAP) | $0.88 | $0.87 | $0.81 | 8.6% |
| Revenue (Non-GAAP) | $2,251 million | $2,220.15 million | $2,118 million | 6.3% |
| Net Interest Income (Non-GAAP) | $1,500 million | $1,393 million | 7.7% | |
| Return on Average Tangible Common Equity | 17.6% | 19.8% | (2.2 pp) | |
| Efficiency Ratio (Non-GAAP) | 55.5% | 56.8% | (1.3 pp) |
Source: Analyst estimates for the quarter provided by FactSet.
What Does Fifth Third Bancorp Do?
Fifth Third Bancorp is a major regional bank, offering financial services to individuals, small businesses, and large commercial clients. Its core business lines include traditional checking and savings accounts, loans and mortgages, credit cards, asset management, and branch-based and digital banking platforms.
The company focuses on lending (making loans to consumers and businesses), gathering deposits, generating fee income from services, and managing risk. Key success factors for it include maintaining strong credit quality, controlling costs, attracting new customer relationships, and investing in technology to keep up with both traditional banks and new financial technology competitors.
Quarter in Detail: Results, Drivers, and Trends
During the quarter, the bank delivered earnings per share of $0.88, a small but clear beat over estimates. Revenue climbed to $2,251 million, up 6.3 % from the prior year, also outpacing forecasts. Net interest income, which mainly comes from the difference between the yield on loans and what the bank pays on deposits and other funding, rose 7.7 %. This growth was powered by both higher loan balances and improved management of deposit costs. The net interest margin, which measures the profitability of the bank's lending, grew for the sixth consecutive quarter, supported by fixed-rate loan repricing and lower interest costs on deposits.
The loan portfolio expanded 5 % from the prior year to an average of $123.1 billion. Within this tally, commercial loans averaged $75.4 billion, while consumer loans such as home equity and indirect secured lending totaled $47.7 billion. Consumer loans grew faster than commercial, supported by home equity lines and secured loans like auto lending. On deposits, the picture was mixed: average deposits were $163.6 billion, basically flat from the first quarter and down 2 % from the year-ago period. Demand deposits, which are considered lower-cost and more stable, increased 3 % from the prior quarter, but other forms such as savings and interest checking dipped. Management reported continued focus on shifting the deposit mix toward more stable sources and reducing reliance on higher-cost wholesale and brokered channels.
Fee income, which includes revenue from wealth management, payments, capital markets, and mortgage banking, rose 8 % headline but only 3 % when stripping out certain one-off benefits. Categories like wealth and asset management (investment and advisory fees) grew 4 % year over year. Consumer banking fees, which encompass items like overdraft charges, grew 6 %. However, capital markets (investment banking and trading services) and commercial banking fees fell slightly or remained flat, as client activity stayed cautious due to economic uncertainty and market volatility. Mortgage banking revenue (fees from originating and servicing home loans) saw a 12 % year-over-year jump, benefiting from some recovery in home financing activity.
On the cost side, the bank maintained discipline. Noninterest expenses, covering everything from staff compensation to technology investments, came in at $1,264 million, climbing 4 % from a year ago but dropping sequentially. The efficiency ratio, a banking metric expressing costs as a percentage of income (lower is better), improved to 55.5 % on a non-GAAP basis -- a 1.3 point improvement over last year. Technology and communications spend continued to rise, up 11 % year over year, as management invests in digital services and operating scale. Headcount held steady, with 18,690 full-time staff, a slight sequential dip. Severance charges indicated some ongoing workforce adjustments as efficiency initiatives continued.
Profitability metrics remained robust. Return on average tangible common equity stood at 17.6 %, down from 19.8 % the prior year, but still among the best of U.S. regional banks. Tangible book value per share, a measure of the bank’s equity value on a per-share basis after excluding intangibles, jumped 18 % year over year. The common equity tier 1 ratio, which measures the bank’s core capital strength as required by regulators, reached 10.56 %, up 13 basis points from the prior quarter and well above minimum requirements. There was no share repurchase this quarter, but in June, the board authorized buybacks for up to 100 million shares, likely to be executed in the second half of 2025.
Credit quality remained stable. The provision for credit losses was $173 million, up from $97 million last year but flat versus the prior period. Net charge-offs (actual loan losses) totaled $139 million, and the ratio of net charge-offs to total loans improved to 0.45 %. Nonperforming assets (loans not paying as agreed, plus repossessed property) decreased 11 % sequentially, but were higher compared to the prior year. Management noted that the allowance for loan losses covered 300 % of nonperforming loans, a strong level of reserve, and that commercial credit risk trends were improving. In the consumer loan book, early stage delinquencies stayed at historically low levels.
Within business segments, Consumer and Small Business Banking generated $648 million in pre-tax income, the largest contributor. Commercial Banking contributed $384 million, Wealth and Asset Management $65 million, and other segments had losses due to overhead and unallocated items. The company continued to invest in technology and branches, especially to grow in the Southeast U.S., targeting faster-growing markets for both consumer and commercial banking products.
The quarterly dividend was maintained at $0.37 per share. This payout reflects a 42 % payout ratio, and the dividend was not changed during the quarter.
Looking Ahead: Outlook and What to Watch
Management kept its guidance for full-year net interest income and loan growth, projecting 4 % to 5 % average total loan growth for fiscal 2025. Executives expect positive operating leverage, meaning revenue should grow faster than expenses, and continued modest improvements in net interest margin each quarter. Credit costs are forecast to remain stable for the full year, with net charge-offs expected at 48 to 49 basis points. No share buybacks occurred in the quarter, but with the new authorization, repurchases may resume in the second half of the year, depending on realized loan growth and capital levels.
For the next few quarters, investors should watch trends in deposit balances and composition, as flat or lower funding could pressure growth. Fee income, especially in areas like commercial payments and capital markets, remains an area to watch given heightened competition and market volatility. Management continues to invest in digital capabilities and operating scale while keeping a close eye on expenses. No material updates were offered on regulatory impacts this quarter, but leadership reiterated its focus on strong capital and risk management. Overall, guidance points to continued steady growth, with a focus on operating efficiency and stable credit quality. Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.
