Wells Fargo beat analysts’ expectations for net interest income (NII) in the third quarter and again raised its full-year guidance as the bank continues to benefit from higher interest rates. 

The San Francisco-based bank earned US$13.1 billion in NII – revenue collected from loan payments minus what depositors are paid – in the three months through September, up 8.3 per cent from a year earlier, according to a statement Friday ()ct 13). That topped the US$12.8 billion average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. 

Expenses also rose more than expected, though, totalling US$13.1 billion in the quarter. Getting costs under control has been a key tenet of Scharf’s turnaround plan since he took over as CEO four years ago. The company again lifted its full-year guidance for non-interest expenses, excluding operating losses, to US$51.5 billion.

“While the economy has continued to be resilient, we are seeing the impact of the slowing economy with loan balances declining and charge-offs continuing to deteriorate modestly,” chief executive officer Charlie Scharf said in the statement. “In addition to making progress on our risk and control work, which is our top priority, we also continued to take steps to advance our business strategy.”

The results offer an early look at how US consumers and businesses are faring in a higher-for-longer interest-rate environment. JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup reported third-quarter results on Friday, with Bank of America, Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley set to follow next week.

Wells Fargo reported a US$1.2 billion provision for loan losses, less than analysts expected, which included US$333 million in the firm’s allowance for credit losses primarily tied to office loans. Investors have been closely watching the commercial real estate space in recent months.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

“The office portfolio in particular in the commercial real estate portfolio is where we’re seeing weakness,” chief financial officer Mike Santomassimo said on a conference call with reporters. “I think we will see some loss pickup in that portfolio over time.”

Wells Fargo is still under a Federal Reserve-imposed asset cap, limiting its size to its end-of-2017 level. Period-end assets totalled US$1.89 trillion, slightly higher than a year earlier. BLOOMBERG