From the Vault

Bank of America Corp. Oct. 19 reported a 10 percent increase in third-quarter net income, from $3.76 billion in the third quarter of 2004 to $4.13 billion this quarter. That translates as $1.02 per diluted share in 2005, compared to 91 cents per share a year ago.

Other highlights of the quarter include:

• a record 635,000 net new retail checking accounts and 294,000 net new savings accounts;

• a $38 billion, or 10 percent, increase in total average retail deposit balances from a year ago;

• an 18 percent increase in assets under management – the company now manages $1.29 trillion in assets.

Shares of Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) closed Oct. 26 at $43.20; the 52-week range was $41.13 to $47.47.

Commerce Bank

Kansas City-based Commerce Bancshares Inc. Oct. 12 announced record third-quarter earnings of 94 cents per share for the three months ended Sept. 30.

Earnings are up 7 percent from the third quarter of 2004 and up 18 percent from the second quarter of 2005.

Net income for the third quarter totaled $62.8 million, compared to $62.5 million in the same quarter last year and $54.4 million in the second quarter of 2005.

Total assets for the bank as of Sept. 30 were $13.9 billion, while total loans were $8.7 billion and total deposits were $10.4 billion.

Shares of Commerce Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq: CBSH) closed Oct. 26 at $52.52. The 52-week range was $44.59 to $54.72.

Great Southern Bank

Springfield-based Great Southern Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Great Southern Bank, reported preliminary third-quarter earnings of 51 cents per share.

Earnings per share were flat compared to third-quarter 2004 – when the bank posted a historic high for quarterly EPS – and were up 1 cent, or 2 percent, from the second quarter.

Preliminary earnings for the year were $1.48 per share, or $20.6 million, up from $1.44 this time last year.

Great Southern Bancorp shares (Nasdaq: GSBC) closed Oct. 26 at $27.87 per share, compared to a 52-week range of $26.32 to $43.25.

Guaranty Bank

Springfield-based Guaranty Federal Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Guaranty Bank, reported that third-quarter earnings per share increased 39 percent to 57 cents a share. Third-quarter 2004 earnings per share were 41 cents.

Third-quarter net income rose 33 percent to $1.6 million.

Assets increased to $51 million, or 11 percent, from Dec. 31, 2004, and loans totaled $49 million, a 12 percent jump from the end of last year.

Guaranty also announced its plan to repurchase 300,000 shares of common stock Nov. 22.

Shares of Guaranty Federal (Nasdaq: GFED) closed Oct. 26 at $27, compared to a 52-week range of $20.65 to $27.95.

Regions Bank

Regions Financial Corp. reported third-quarter earnings of 55 cents per share, identical to the same period in 2004.

Net income was $256.6 million for the quarter, down from $256.7 million reported the same quarter last year. Year-to-date income was $746 million, a 27 percent jump from 2004’s nine-month earnings of $587 million, due to Regions’ June merger with Union Planters Bank. Excluding merger charges, earnings per share were 61 cents.

Loan losses and fee-related revenue declines were attributed to effects of Hurricane Katrina.

About 200 out of 320 Union Planters branches were converted to Regions by mid-August, setting the completion date for the Regions-Union Planters merger in early November.

Shares (NYSE: RF) closed Oct. 26 at $32.31, compared to a 52-week range of $29.16 to $35.97.

UMB Bank

Kansas City-based UMB Financial Corp. on Oct. 25 released its third-quarter financial results, which included year-over-year revenue growth for the second quarter in a row.

The company’s third-quarter earnings topped $16.2 million, or 75 cents per diluted share. That’s a 34.7 percent increase over the third quarter of 2004. The company attributes the increase to higher net interest and fee-related income and net gains on the sale/closure of branch facilities.

Net interest income for the quarter was $48.7 million, up 7.7 percent from a year ago.

The company’s board of directors also approved a quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share, a 13.6 percent increase, payable on Jan. 3 to shareholders of record at the close of business Dec. 13.

Shares (Nasdaq: UMBF) closed Oct. 26 at $67.38. The 52-week range was $49.94 to $67.99.

U.S. Bank

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp reported profits of $1.15 billion for the quarter, up 2.9 percent from the second quarter of 2005 and up 8.3 percent from the third quarter of 2004.

Net income per diluted share was 62 cents for the third quarter, compared to 56 cents per diluted share during the same period last year.

Average loans totaled $135 billion for the third quarter, up 10 percent from the same period in 2004.

The company reported assets of $206.9 billion as of Sept. 30, with $120.8 billion in deposits and $136.6 billion in loans.

Shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) closed Oct. 26 at $29.20, compared to a 52-week range of $26.80 to $31.65.