Joe Morford Quotations

Mortgage revenues were down for the quarter but at the same time (Wells) aggressively attacked the cost side of the business. We saw a 13 percent annualized drop in mortgage-related expenses in the quarter. That helps to preserve the bottom line.

Growth will slow slightly for a variety of factors. There's a challenging rate environment, a bit slower economic growth and there could be a return to a more normalized credit environment, with higher credit costs and building of provisions.

The bottom-line (earning-per-share) number was a little better than expected, but some of the underlying trends showed some softness, particularly the loan and deposit growth.

The underlying trends look positive, and I'm encouraged by stability in the margin and strength in loan growth.

The distraction from the integration of two companies is behind them. The focus has shifted to growing the bank in a competitive environment.