Mark Batty Loan Quotations

The bankruptcy issue is a one-time situation. Commercial and industrial loan growth was fairly strong and should be the key driver of earnings growth this year for the regional banks.

People are worried about possible net interest margin compression and credit quality deterioration, as well as slowing consumer loan growth.

Wells Fargo looks good. It had strong loan growth, credit quality remains stable, and the mortgage business looks robust despite higher interest rates.

In some markets we're seeing reasonably strong deposit growth and pretty much across the board, commercial and industrial, middle-market business loans are fairly robust. It's a sign the economy remains fairly strong.

Commercial and industrial loans are growing at a double- digit pace and that's indicative of a fairly strong economy. That, coupled with stable credit quality, has been a positive for banks that focus on small and middle-market businesses.