Zions Bancorp (NASDAQ: ZION) reported Q3 EPS of $1.04, $0.08 better than the analyst estimate of $0.96.

Harris H. Simmons, Chairman and CEO, commented, "We're very pleased with our results for the third quarter with earnings per share up 44% from last year's third quarter, and an increase of 17% over the results of the prior quarter. These results reflect consistent revenue growth, disciplined expense management and continued strong credit performance. We increased our dividend by 25% during the quarter in addition to repurchasing 3.5 million shares of our common stock. And we successfully completed the merger of our holding company into its subsidiary bank, resulting in the creation of a publicly traded national bank, Zions Bancorporation, N.A., as our top-level legal entity, simplifying our organization\'s structure and the resulting regulatory framework."

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