????美國銀行業資產規模第四大的花旗集團（Citigroup）周一公布，二季度實現利潤42億美元。這樣的利潤數據確實不錯：增長44%，每股收益1.34美元，超出預期14%。

????當季實現近9億美元的利潤增長，其中相當一部分來自于不良貸款損失減少。據花旗稱，當季核心業務——消費者銀行的逾期貸款總額下降了31%。

????此外，市場回暖也給花旗帶來了好消息，也為它華爾街的銀行家們帶來了很多機會。在股票交易的推動下，這家銀行的投資銀行業務收入增長了21%。另一項推動力是花旗亞洲和拉美業務的增長，盡管中國和其他新興市場呈現放緩趨勢。花旗銀行是美國大銀行中最注重國際化的銀行，海外擴張是它一貫的目標。整體而言，花旗二季度收入增長了12%，達到205億美元。

????出現改觀的另一個跡象是，花旗表示，手頭用于覆蓋不良貸款或投資的資本額增加了近60億美元。自金融危機以來，監管機構和投資者都非常關注這些資本的水平。而且，按監管機構定義的風險資產額也在下降。由此，花旗的資本與風險資產比率達到了10%, 在美國大型銀行中居于前列。

????不過，貸款業務依然疲弱。二季度，花旗持有的未償貸款余額減少了近30億美元，下降到了6,430億美元。

????盡管如此，這些業績數據依然表明自去年秋季起執掌花旗的CEO邁克爾?考伯特已經成功扭轉了局面：花旗身為金融危機中狀況最艱難的美國大銀行已經走出了困境。憑借率直坦誠的個性和削減成本的承諾，考伯特已在投資者中贏得了一些擁躉。去年底，考伯特表示，花旗將裁員11,000人。二季度，花旗售出了180億美元的問題貸款，并將所持美邦（Smith Barney）證券經紀子公司的剩余股份賣給了摩根士丹利（Morgan Stanley）。公司運營支出也已小幅下降。

????今年迄今已躍升30%的花旗股票在周一業績報告發布后小幅上漲，已經接近52美元。

????考伯特在一份聲明中表示：“我們本季度的業務表現良好，各個產品線和各地區的業務數據較為均衡，特別是最近增長面臨挑戰的新興市場。”

????就在很多人擔心利率上漲將侵蝕金融業利潤時，花旗等美國大銀行近日接連發布出色的業績報告。上周五，摩根大通（JPMorgan Chase）和富國銀行（Wells Fargo）也都發布了好于分析師預期的業績。（財富中文網）

????Citigroup, the No. 4 U.S. bank by assets, said it earned $4.2 billion in the second quarter. That's a good bottom line: growth of 44%, and, at $1.34 per share, 14% ahead of estimates.

????Much of the gain, nearly $900 million, came from lower losses from bad loans. The bank said the volume of delinquent loans in its core consumer banking unit fell 31%.

????But the bank also benefited from a better market, which created work for its Wall Street bankers. Investment banking revenue, driven by stock deals, rose 21%. Another boost came from Asia and Latin America, where Citi's business was up, despite a slowdown in China and other emerging markets. Expanding overseas has been a goal for Citi, the most internationally focused of the U.S.'s large banks. Overall, Citi's revenue rose 12% to $20.5 billion.

????In another sign of improvement, Citi (C) said the amount of capital it had on hand to cover soured loans or investments rose by nearly $6 billion. Regulators and investors have been watching those capital levels closely since the financial crisis. What's more, its risky assets as measured by regulators also dropped. Combined, that gives Citi a ratio of capital to risky assets of 10%, one of the highest among the big banks.

????Still, lending remained weak. The volume of loans Citi had outstanding fell nearly $3 billion to $643 billion in the second quarter.

????Nonetheless, the results are the latest sign that CEO Michael Corbat, in charge since last fall, has been pulling off a turnaround -- Citi emerged from the financial crisis as the most troubled of the big banks. Corbat has won fans among investors with his what-you-see-is-what-you-get personality and promise to cut costs. Late last year, Corbat said the bank would eliminate 11,000 employees. In the quarter, Citi sold off $18 billion in troubled loans and its remaining stake in its former Smith Barney brokerage unit, which was bought by Morgan Stanley (MS). Operating expenses fell slightly.

????Shares of the bank, which have jumped 30% this year, were up slightly on Monday after the earnings announcement to nearly $52.

????"Our businesses performed well during the quarter, and these results are well-balanced through our products and geographies, especially in the emerging markets, where growth is being challenged," said Corbat in a statement.

????The report also continued a string of good reports from big banks at a time when many people are worried that rising interest rates would derail profits in the financial sector. JPMorgan Chase(JPM) and Wells Fargo (WFC) both reported earnings on Friday that were better than analysts had expected.