Quarterly ROA of the U.S. banking industry 2003-2025

The U.S. commercial banking industry's return on assets (ROA) has experienced dramatic shifts over two decades. Peaking at

percent in the first quarter of 2004, it plummeted to a historic low of percent during the fourth quarter of 2008's global financial crisis. After a gradual recovery, the ROA stabilized around percent in 2023, despite a decline to one percent in the final quarter. Throughout 2024, U.S. banks demonstrated relative consistency, with ROA fluctuating between 0.95 and 1.04 percent. Early 2025 saw an increase in the sector's ROA, reaching percent, the highest since the first quarter of 2023. In contrast, the European banking industry maintained a lower performance, with ROA averaging percent during the same period.

Steady growth amidst fluctuations in net operating income

Despite the lowest quarterly net operating income of the U.S. banking industry being measured in the fourth quarter of 2008, at a negative

billion U.S. dollars, the average quarterly income of all FDIC-insured institutions grew steadily after the global financial crisis, experiencing a sharp decrease due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. After 2021, the industry saw another steady decrease in its quarterly income until it started to increase again towards the end of 2022. In 2024, the bank with the highest reported revenue was JPMorgan Chase.

Stability and resilience in capital adequacy

The common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio of the U.S. commercial banking industry has shown resilience, with an upward trajectory throughout 2024. Despite sharp decreases due to global financial crises and the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has demonstrated stability and gradual recovery in its capital adequacy, culminating in a ROA of

percent in the first quarter of 2025.