Bank of America reported a better than expected rise in quarterly profit on Monday as the second-largest US lender benefited from cost cuts, while higher interest rates and loan growth helped offset weaker bond trading revenue.
In his near-decade long tenure as chief executive officer, Brian Moynihan has tried to streamline the lender's sprawling operations by cutting jobs, digitising retail operations and getting rid of crisis-era mortgages, which he inherited as part of its acquisition of Countrywide Financial.
Two years ago, Mr Moynihan pledged to cut expenses to $53 billion by the end of this year and stick to that level until 2020.
Non-interest expense fell 2.4 per cent to $13.07bn in the third quarter, in part due to a 2 per cent cut in headcount across businesses.
"Responsible growth, backed by a solid US economy and a healthy US consumer, combined to deliver the highest quarterly pre-tax earnings in our company's history," Mr Moynihan said.
_______________
Read more:
Helped by lower taxes, JPMorgan's Q3 profits rise 24%
HSBC to pay $765 million for role in global financial crisis a decade ago
_______________
Net income applicable to common shareholders rose 35 per cent to $6.7bn in the third quarter ended September 30.
Excluding items, the bank earned 67 cents per share, beating the average analyst estimate of 62 cents per share, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv.
Loans in its consumer banking business grew 6 percent to $285bn. Total deposits rose about 5 per cent to $1.35 trillion.
BofA relies heavily on higher interest rates to maximise profits as it has a large deposit pool and rate-sensitive mortgage securities.
Total interest income - the difference between what a lender earns on loans and pays on deposits - rose 6.4 per cent to $11.87bn.