Largest US Banks Grapple With Worst Write-Offs in Three Years

  • Net interest income, new capital requirements also in focus
  • Investment-banking revenue expected to drop on M&A slump

Worsening credit quality suggests banks may have to set aside more money to cover sour loans.

Photographer: Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg
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The biggest US banks are poised to write off more bad loans than they have since the early days of the pandemic as higher-for-longer interest rates and a potential economic downturn are putting borrowers in a bind.

JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co., which report third-quarter results Friday, will join Bank of America Corp. — which comes Tuesday — in posting roughly $5.3 billion in combined third-quarter net charge-offs, the highest for the group since the second quarter of 2020, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.