Gains from sales of securities and lower loan loss previsions helped bring higher profits to large Fifth District commercial banks in 1986. At the same time, small- and medium-sized bank profits fell slightly in the District from the previous year. As in the past few years, Fifth District banks...

Bank profitability as measured by return on assets and return on equity declined in the Fifth Federal Reserve Disntrict in 1987 due largely to increased loan and lease loss provisions. Nationwide the profitability decline was considerably larger because the average loss provision greatly...

The profitability of commercial banks in the Fifth Federal Reserve District improved in 1985. Return on assets reached .98 percent and return on equity 15.41 percent, well above the average of the past seven years. In comparison, the corresponding figures for all banks in the United States were...

1984 was another strong year for Fifth District banks. Average return on assets, though slightly lower than in 1983, was still higher than the national average. This article, by David L. Mengle and John R. Walter, analyzes the factors affecting the profitability of District banks in 1984 to...