Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) Tops Q3 EPS by 1c

Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ: HBAN) reported Q3 EPS of $0.22, ex-items, $0.01 better than the analyst estimate of $0.21.

"We are very excited about the third-quarter acquisition of FirstMerit, which has strengthened the return profile of the company," said Steve Steinour, chairman, president and CEO. "We delivered solid core fundamental performance for the quarter. Acquisition-related expenses continue to be in line with our expectations and guidance. Auto and mortgage lending were among the significant drivers of organic loan growth during the quarter, complemented by acquisition-related growth. We are entering a new era for Huntington, as we introduce our customer-centric strategies and operating model to new geographies and improve our operating efficiency due to increased scale."

"Integration execution is proceeding on schedule as we move closer to operating as one expanded company with each passing day," Steinour said. "We have completed workforce onboarding and initial training, and we are laser-focused on customer experience and retention. In addition, we remain confident we will complete the majority of system conversions during the first quarter of 2017, swiftly moving toward our target of realizing $255 million of annualized cost savings."

"We continue to implement revenue synergies that were not included in the original FirstMerit financial model," Steinour said. "For example, as we look forward to further deploying Huntington's Small Business Administration lending expertise within our expanded customer base and geographies, we are again pleased to rank as the second-highest SBA 7(a) lender nationwide in terms of number of loans. Within our combined geography of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, Huntington was ranked first in number of SBA 7(a) loans and total dollars lent. We look forward to an even stronger SBA fiscal year in 2017 as we add lending capabilities in Chicago and Wisconsin."

"Finally, Huntington is honored today to have been recognized in MONEY Magazine's Best Banks in America for 2016-2017, as the Best Regional Bank: Great Lakes," Steinour said. "We are humbled that MONEY has chosen to recognize our commitment to value, transparency, fairness, service and convenience for our customers, including Huntington as a Best Bank for four out of the past six years."

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) click here.

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