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Large US banks say consumer finances are healthy despite tariffs
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Large US banks say consumer finances are healthy despite tariffs
Jul 15, 2025 9:21 AM

NEW YORK, July 15 (Reuters) - U.S. banking giants said

consumers remained in good shape even after U.S. President

Donald Trump's tariff policies roiled markets, but executives

warned of potential weakness ahead.

"The consumer basically seems to be fine," JPMorgan CFO

Jeremy Barnum said in a call with analysts. The bank set aside

$2.85 billion for credit losses in the second quarter, roughly

6.5% less than a year earlier.

JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ), Citigroup ( C/PN ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC )

posted second-quarter profits that beat analysts'

forecasts, helped by a rebound in dealmaking and resilient

consumer spending.

"Consumers and businesses remain strong as unemployment

remains low and inflation remains in check, credit card spending

growth softened very slightly in the second quarter, but is

still up year over year," Wells Fargo ( WFC ) CEO Charlie Scharf told

analysts.

Higher-than-expected repayments in auto loans and credit

cards prompted Wells Fargo ( WFC ) to reduce its charge-offs, or debts

that are unlikely to be recovered. The bank also reduced the

amount of money set aside to cover potential loan losses.

Still, executives also expressed concern about how consumers

will weather the impact of higher tariffs on imported goods.

U.S. consumer prices increased by the most in five months in

June amid higher costs for some goods, suggesting tariffs were

starting to have an impact on inflation, the Consumer Price

Index showed on Tuesday. It increased 0.3% last month, in line

with expectations.

Citigroup ( C/PN ) anticipates spending will soften in the second

half of the year, CEO Mark Mason told reporters.

"Consumer health remains very strong," he said. "We do

anticipate further consumer (spending) cooling in the second

half as ... tariff effects play through."

The bank's credit costs rose to $2.9 billion in the second

quarter, mainly from net credit losses in U.S. credit cards.

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