Fifth Third Bancorp NASDAQ: FITB reported second-quarter 2026 earnings that management said showed early benefits from its merger with Comerica, with executives pointing to stronger profitability, deposit growth in newer markets and progress toward planned cost savings.
The Cincinnati-based bank reported earnings per share of $0.83, or $1.02 excluding certain items outlined in its earnings release, Chairman, CEO and President Tim Spence said on the company’s earnings call. Spence said Fifth Third’s tangible book value per share increased 10% year-over-year, 1% sequentially and 7% since the Comerica transaction was announced nine months ago.
“While we are still in the middle of integration and not every metric is yet where it will be, our trajectory and long-term potential are visible in this quarter’s results,” Spence said.
Profitability Improves as Comerica Integration Advances
Fifth Third said adjusted return on tangible common equity improved to 19%, adjusted return on assets rose to 1.3% and the adjusted efficiency ratio improved to 57%. Spence said those results came even though most of the expected expense synergies from the Comerica deal have not yet been captured.
CFO Bryan Preston said second-quarter net interest income was $2.22 billion, while net interest margin expanded six basis points sequentially to 3.36%. Preston attributed three basis points of the margin expansion to the additional month of Comerica results, with the remainder coming from fixed-rate asset repricing, loan growth and deposit performance.
Preston said total adjusted non-interest expense was $1.86 billion, better than the company expected, as Fifth Third realized synergy benefits ahead of schedule. The quarter included $203 million in merger-related charges. The bank remains on track to deliver $850 million of annualized run-rate expense synergies in the fourth quarter, with systems conversion scheduled for Labor Day weekend.
Spence said in response to an analyst question that the company is “running a good bit ahead” of the $850 million synergy target, but added that management’s current plan is to redeploy savings above that level into revenue growth opportunities if the operating environment remains supportive.
Deposit Growth Led by Consumer and Southwest Markets
Management highlighted deposit growth as a key theme in the quarter. Spence said end-of-period consumer and small business deposits increased 4% sequentially, driven by new customer acquisition. In the Southeast, consumer checking households grew 7% year-over-year, which Spence said was about four times the rate of underlying market growth.
In Comerica’s Texas, Arizona and California markets, checking households grew 4%, which Spence said marked the first net new household growth in several years. Those markets added $2.5 billion in deposits, more than double the $1 billion expectation management discussed on the prior earnings call.
Preston said average core deposits were $229 billion in the quarter, while period-end core deposits were $231 billion. Consumer deposits grew nearly $5 billion, offsetting an intentional reduction in higher-cost non-relationship deposits and normal commercial seasonality. Average non-interest-bearing balances were 28% of core deposits, up from 25% a year earlier.
Deposit costs declined during the quarter. Preston said total deposit costs fell four basis points sequentially to 1.54%, while interest-bearing deposit costs declined two basis points. He described the consumer deposit market as competitive and said it is becoming more expensive to grow deposits, but said Fifth Third continues to manage overall deposit costs through pricing and mix.
Loan Growth Broad-Based, Credit Trends Improve
Period-end portfolio loans totaled $179 billion, up 1% sequentially. Preston said commercial loans rose $2 billion, or 2%, with production across middle market and corporate banking. Commercial line utilization was stable at 40.8%.
Spence said C&I loan growth was supported by both legacy Fifth Third and Comerica markets, with growth in Texas, California, Michigan and several specialty verticals, including environmental services, dealer services, and tech and life sciences. He said confidence among commercial clients improved broadly during the quarter, with demand stable and, in some cases, improving.
Consumer loan growth was led by home equity. Preston said home equity balances rose 3% sequentially, and Fifth Third was the No. 1 originator of home equity lines across its legacy footprint. He said the product maintained disciplined credit characteristics, with an average FICO score of 774 and a loan-to-value ratio of 63%.
Credit trends improved during the quarter. Preston said the net charge-off ratio fell seven basis points sequentially to 30 basis points, the lowest level since the second quarter of 2023. Commercial net charge-offs were 21 basis points, while consumer net charge-offs were 53 basis points. Non-performing assets were relatively stable, and commercial criticized assets declined during the quarter.
Fee Businesses Reach Milestones
Fifth Third reported adjusted non-interest income of $1.04 billion, excluding security gains and other items. Management emphasized strength across wealth and asset management, commercial payments and capital markets.
- Wealth and asset management revenue was $256 million, with total assets under management of $128 billion.
- Commercial payments revenue was $254 million, led by NewLine and core treasury services. NewLine fee revenue increased 35% year-over-year.
- Capital markets fees were $154 million, an annualized pace of about $600 million.
Spence said commercial payments and wealth and asset management each reached a more than $1 billion annualized fee run rate during the quarter. He also said Fifth Third shipped the first Direct Express cards on its new platform, with 66,000 new beneficiaries and all participating federal agencies now live.
Guidance Raised for Net Interest Income and Fees
Fifth Third raised its full-year net interest income guidance to a range of $8.74 billion to $8.8 billion. Preston said the outlook reflects the forward curve at the end of June, which assumed a 25-basis-point rate hike in September, as well as securities repositioning and new forward-starting received fixed swaps.
The company refined its average loan guidance to $174 billion to $176 billion, noting that the full-year average will include only 11 months of Comerica. Fifth Third also raised and narrowed full-year non-interest income guidance to $4.06 billion to $4.16 billion and lowered and narrowed full-year non-interest expense guidance to $7.22 billion to $7.26 billion, excluding acquisition-related charges.
For the third quarter, Fifth Third expects net interest income to grow 2% to 2.5% from the second quarter, average loans to rise about 1%, adjusted non-interest income to increase 1% to 3% and adjusted non-interest expense to decline 1% to 2%.
Preston said the bank’s common equity Tier 1 ratio ended the quarter at 9.93%, up four basis points sequentially. He said Fifth Third expects to resume regular quarterly share repurchases in the second half of the year, with a smaller amount in the third quarter and a more normalized pace of $200 million to $300 million per quarter in the fourth quarter.
“The second quarter turned the integration thesis into results,” Preston said. “The earnings power of the combined company isn’t a forecast anymore.”
About Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB)
Fifth Third Bancorp is a Cincinnati, Ohio–based bank holding company whose primary banking subsidiary operates as Fifth Third Bank. The company provides a broad range of financial services to individual consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies and large corporations. Its business mix includes retail and commercial banking, lending, payment and card services, treasury and cash management, and wealth management and investment advisory services delivered through a combination of branch locations, commercial offices and digital platforms.
On the consumer side, Fifth Third offers deposit accounts, consumer loans, mortgages, auto financing and credit card products, along with digital banking and mobile services.
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