Zions Bancorp (NASDAQ: ZION) reported Q3 EPS of $1.01, $0.13 better than the analyst estimate of $0.88.

Link to 3Q Earnings Presentation

Harris H. Simmons, Chairman and CEO of Zions Bancorporation, commented, “Despite the headwinds of a challenging interest rate and credit environment, we are pleased with many aspects of the Bank’s third quarter performance. We’re particularly pleased by the resilience demonstrated by our customers in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Approximately 9% of our borrowers availed themselves of loan modifications or short-term deferrals earlier this year, with 88% of deferred loans having completed the deferral period before August 1. At quarter-end, a mere 1.0% of those loans were delinquent 30 days or more, with an additional 0.2% having been charged off. Additionally, annualized net charge-offs for the entire loan portfolio were a very manageable 0.38%.”

Mr. Simmons continued, “The pandemic-induced recession has resulted in weak loan demand at Zions and across the industry, with the exception of residential mortgages, where we’ve experienced record production and income. At the same time, economic stimulus programs have produced substantial deposit growth, resulting in higher cash holdings and margin compression. We’ve worked at offsetting margin pressure through disciplined expense control, with the result that adjusted pre-provision net revenue has remained healthy.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Zions Bancorp (ZION) click here.