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Profits and Balance Sheet Developmentsat U.S. Commercial Banks in 2004
 Elizabeth C. Klee and Fabio M. Natalucci, of the Board’s Division of Monetary Affairs, prepared thisarticle. Thomas C. Allard assisted in developing thedatabase underlying much of the analysis. Arshia A. Burney provided research assistance.
U.S. commercial banks continued to be highly profit-able in 2004. Return on assets and return on equitydeclined moderately from the previous year’s levels,but they remained in the elevated range that hasprevailed since the mid-1990s (chart 1). Banks’ prof-itability and balance sheets benefited from a brisk expansion of the economy and supportive finan-cial conditions during 2004. Although the FederalReserve gradually raised its target for the federalfunds rate over the second half of the year, the stanceof policy remained accommodative (chart 2). Short-and intermediate-term interest rates rose over thecourse of the year, but yields on longer-term Trea-sury securities were little changed on net, and theTreasury yield curve flattened noticeably. Interestrates on residential mortgages ended the year atouch lower, on balance, and continued to supportrobust housing activity. Risk spreads on corporatebonds—particularly high-yield bonds—narrowedsubstantially.Favorable financial market conditions, accompa-nied by a stimulative fiscal policy and continuedrapid growth in productivity, supported economicactivity. Buoyant consumer spending on durable andnondurable goods reflected solid income growth,improvements in labor market conditions, and greaterhousehold wealth; the greater wealth, in turn, arosefrom gains in the stock market and continued sharpincreases in house prices. Healthy profits and cashflows encouraged business investment in equipmentand software, which rose smartly throughout the year.Businesses also added considerably to inventories forthe first time since 2001. With the financial obliga-tions ratio of households stabilizing below the peak reached at the end of 2002 and the debt burden fornonfinancial corporations continuing to fall, house-holds and businesses had relatively strong financialpositions overall during 2004.These economic and financial conditions werereflected in the changes in bank balance sheets overthe year. The robust activity in the housing sector andgenerally low mortgage interest rates buoyed resi-dential mortgage lending at banks despite the ebbingof the 2003 refinancing wave. Even though consumerspending was strong, consumer loans advanced atonly a moderate pace and likely were restrained bythe substitution of mortgage debt for higher-rate con-
Note.
Except where otherwise indicated, data in this article arefrom the quarterly Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report) forinsured domestic commercial banks and nondeposit trust companies(hereafter, banks). The data consolidate information from foreign anddomestic offices and have been adjusted to take account of mergersand the effects of push-down accounting. For additional informationon the adjustments to the data, see the appendix in William B. Englishand William R. Nelson (1998), ‘‘Profits and Balance Sheet Develop-ments at U.S. Commercial Banks in 1997,’’
Federal Reserve Bulletin,
vol. 84 (June), p. 408. Size categories, based on assets at the startof each quarter, are as follows: the ten largest banks, large banks(those ranked 11 through 100), medium-sized banks (those ranked 101through 1,000), and small banks. At the start of the fourth quarter of 2004, the approximate asset sizes of the banks in those groups were asfollows: the ten largest banks, more than $96 billion; large banks,$6.7 billion to $96 billion; medium-sized banks, $422 million to$6.6 billion; and small banks, less than $422 million.Data shown in this article may not match data published in earlieryears because of revisions and corrections. In the tables, componentsmay not sum to totals because of rounding. Appendix table A.1, A–E,reports portfolio composition, income, and expense items, all as apercentage of overall net consolidated assets. Appendix table A.2reports income statement data for all banks.
Return on equity4681012141618
1. Bank profitability, 1990
–
2004
Percent
.4.6.81.01.21.41.61.8
Percent
Return on assets20042002200019981996199419921990 N
OTE
. The data are annual.
143
 
sumer credit. Strong cash
fl
ows and pro
fi
ts allowedmany non
fi
nancial corporations to
fi
nance capitalspending with internal funds and thus reduce theirborrowing needs. Nonetheless, after three years of retrenchment, short-term business debt
—
consistingof commercial and industrial (C&I) loans from banksand commercial paper
—
rose last year to meet
fi
rms
’
greater need to fund accounts receivable, inventories,capital expenditures, and merger and acquisitionactivity. C&I loans also received a boost from thesupply side, as banks reported easing their lendingstandards and terms throughout the year. Banks alsoreported easing their standards and terms on com-mercial real estate loans, and such loans increaseddespite soft conditions overall in that sector. Still-low interest rates fueled the growth of core deposits,but the rise was insuf 
fi
cient to fund the increasein bank assets.
1
As a result, banks relied more heavilyon managed liabilities, which rose strongly lastyear.Economic and
fi
nancial developments also stronglyin
fl
uenced banks
’
pro
fi
tability in 2004. As the yieldcurve
fl
attened markedly, the net interest marginnarrowed a bit further. The net interest margin mayalso have been eroded by increased competition inthe C&I loan market, which contributed to a narrow-ing of loan spreads over reference rates. Gains innon-interest income were less pronounced than in2003. Despite contributions from
fi
duciary activities,loan-servicing fees, and securitization activities, thegrowth of non-interest income was restrained byweakness in investment banking revenue, a markedcontraction in trading income, and a decline in gainsfrom loan sales. Meanwhile, non-interest expense,which rose briskly, was boosted by provisions forlitigation and expenses related to sizable mergers ata few large banks. However, the continued improve-ment in overall credit quality throughout the yearallowed banks to trim their provisioning for loan andlease losses, and delinquency and charge-off rates forall loan categories trended down. Realized gains oninvestment-account securities declined last year butstill contributed to income.Although more new commercial banks were char-tered in 2004 than in 2003, merger activity increased,and the number of banks fell to 7,678 at year-end(chart 3). Some of the merger activity involved verylarge banks and thus contributed to an increase in theconcentration of industry assets. The share of indus-
1. Core deposits are transaction deposits, savings deposits (includ-ing money market deposit accounts), and small time deposits.
2. Selected interest rates, 2000
–
05
Ten-year Treasury securitiesMoody’s Baa corporate bonds
1234567
Percent
Intended federal funds rate567891011121314200520042003200220012000 Thirty-yearfixed-rate mortgagesHigh-yield bondsN
OTE
. The data are monthly and extend through March 2005.S
OURCE
. For Treasury securities, mortgages, and Moody
’
s corporatebonds, Federal Reserve Board, Statistical Release H.15,
“
Selected InterestRates
”
(www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15); for federal funds, FederalReserve Board (www.federalreserve.gov/fomc/fundsrate.htm); for high-yieldbonds, Merrill Lynch Master II index.
3. Number of banks, and share of assets at the largestbanks, 1990
–
2004
68101214
Thousands
Number
20406080
Percent
20042002200019981996199419921990
Share of assets
100 largest10 largestN
OTE
. The data are annual. For the definition of bank size, see the generalnote on the first page of the main text.
144 Federal Reserve Bulletin Spring 2005
 
try assets held by the 10 largest banks rose 3.9 per-centage points, to 48.0 percent; the share held bythe 100 largest banks rose 1.6 percentage points, to76.9 percent. Three banks failed in 2004 with com-bined assets of just $151 million.Merger activity also continued at the bank holdingcompany level, and the number of top-tier bank hold-ing companies declined by 4 in 2004, to 5,148. Asthey did at the bank level, mergers drove up theconcentration of assets at bank holding companies.The share of assets of all bank holding companiesheld by
fi
fty large bank holding companies roseto about 77 percent.
2
The Gramm
–
Leach
–
Bliley Actof 1999 created the option for bank holding compa-nies to become
fi
nancial holding companies; as such,they are allowed to engage in activities related tosecurities underwriting, insurance sales and under-writing, and merchant banking. During 2004 the
2. The number of bank holding companies and related statisticsshown here include all top-tier bank holding companies. The
fi
ftylarge bank holding companies are de
fi
ned as the
fi
fty largest bank holding companies as measured by total consolidated assets after theexclusion of a few institutions whose commercial banking operationsaccount for only a small portion of their assets and earnings. Thearticle
‘‘
Report on the Condition of the U.S. Banking Industry: FourthQuarter 2004,
’’
also in this issue, provides information on the
fi
ftylarge bank holding companies and on the banking industry from theperspective of bank holding companies (including
fi
nancial hold-ing companies) that
fi
le reports FR Y-9C and FR Y-9LP; currently,only about 2,200 top-tier bank holding companies are required to
fi
lethose reports (see
‘‘
Report on the Condition,
’’
table 1, last row, andnote 1).
1. Annual rates of growth of balance sheet items, 1995
–
2004
PercentItem 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Memo:
Dec.2004(billionsof dollars)Assets ..................................Interest-earning assets .................Loans and leases (net) ...............Commercial and industrial ........Real estate .......................Booked in domestic of 
fi
ces ......One- to four-familyresidential ..............Other .......................Booked in foreign of 
fi
ces .......Consumer ........................Other loans and leases ............Loan-loss reserves andunearned income .............Securities ...........................Investment account ...............U.S. Treasury ..................U.S. government agency andcorporation obligations .....Other ..........................Trading account ..................Other ..............................Non-interest-earning assets .............Liabilities ...............................Core deposits .........................Transaction deposits ................Savings and small time deposits ......Managed liabilities
1
...................Deposits booked in foreignof 
fi
ces .........................Large time ..........................Subordinated notes anddebentures .....................Other managed liabilities ............Federal Home Loan Bank advances ....................Other .................................Equity capital ...........................
Memo
Commercial real estate loans
2
............Mortgage-backed securities ..............
Note.
Data are from year-end to year-end.1. Measured as the sum of deposits in foreign of 
fi
ces, large time deposits indomestic of 
fi
ces, federal funds purchased and securities sold under repurchaseagreements, demand notes issued to the U.S. Treasury, subordinated notes anddebentures, and other borrowed money.2. Measured as the sum of construction and land development loans securedby real estate; real estate loans secured by nonfarm nonresidential properties orby multifamily residential properties; and loans to
fi
nance commercial realestate, construction, and land development activities not secured by real estate.7.59 6.13 9.22 8.18 5.44 8.76 5.12 7.19 7.19 10.77 8,2587.82 5.82 8.66 8.20 5.83 8.66 3.95 7.54 7.29 11.29 7,15710.61 8.17 5.32 8.76 8.03 9.24 1.82 5.90 6.52 11.21 4,73612.25 7.24 12.02 12.94 7.88 8.54
−
6.73
−
7.41
−
4.56 4.40 8998.28 5.45 9.30 7.99 12.22 10.74 7.94 14.43 9.78 15.38 2,5958.43 5.51 9.53 7.97 12.36 11.02 8.02 14.85 9.68 15.05 2,54710.01 4.66 9.67 6.36 9.70 9.28 5.70 19.85 10.05 15.79 1,4686.21 6.75 9.32 10.29 16.06 13.31 10.95 8.81 9.20 14.07 1,0792.81 3.18 .34 8.79 6.28
−
1.62 3.97
−
7.41 15.74 35.59 4810.01 5.12
−
2.19 .34
−
1.49 8.04 4.16 6.58 9.31 10.12 78214.22 22.28
−
7.91 13.95 6.71 7.01
−
2.02
−
.02 8.30 3.64 533.46 .04
−
.45 3.11 2.34 7.99 13.15 5.74
−
2.68
−
4.19 73.56 .86 8.85 8.40 5.11 6.36 7.22 16.20 9.44 10.58 1,838
−
1.58
−
1.10 8.66 12.06 6.68 2.86 8.88 13.54 8.70 6.15 1,510
−
19.21
−
14.28
−
8.85
−
25.17
−
1.89
−
32.72
−
40.27 41.92 14.18
−
15.86 616.42 3.63 14.18 17.00 1.83 3.75 12.84 18.10 9.67 9.47 9894.19 1.83 11.21 26.99 20.90 13.39 12.18 2.72 5.98 3.01 46118.51 14.44 10.00
−
13.32
−
6.93 37.16
−
3.72 36.02 14.05 36.80 3288.61 1.06 38.54 3.79
−
8.37 10.30 13.00
−
2.92 6.83 14.31 5846.06 8.29 13.03 8.10 2.90 9.45 12.81 5.06 6.62 7.54 1,1017.22 5.99 9.11 8.06 5.58 8.59 4.45 7.12 7.25 9.54 7,4283.94 4.13 4.52 7.04 .23 7.53 10.55 7.58 7.30 8.24 3,974
−
3.11
−
3.44
−
4.55
−
1.41
−
8.97
−
1.31 10.20
−
5.12 2.90 3.18 7448.35 8.35 9.04 10.73 3.80 10.54 10.66 11.42 8.43 9.48 3,23010.61 9.73 13.79 9.44 15.54 8.79
−
2.73 5.34 6.97 12.06 2,9115.13 4.27 11.13 8.71 14.60 7.84
−
10.96 4.49 12.63 16.84 86519.60 21.17 20.15 9.09 14.19 19.37
−
3.65 5.05 1.43 21.82 7056.61 17.74 21.05 17.00 5.07 13.98 9.56
−
.59 5.08 10.49 10911.63 8.38 12.14 9.49 17.76 3.90 2.47 6.55 6.62 4.42 1,232n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 17.21 3.74 3.68 24420.49 2.60 23.80 8.57
−
6.37 15.40 3.10 13.55 8.38 6.06 54312.06 7.77 10.44 9.53 3.89 10.65 12.32 7.83 6.61 23.16 8306.32 7.67 10.13 11.37 15.42 12.16 13.10 6.82 8.99 13.81 1,075.66 2.06 14.16 22.12
−
3.34 3.29 29.05 15.56 10.10 13.01 861
Profits and Balance Sheet Developments at U.S. Commercial Banks in 2004
145
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