US banks’ NIM to remain under pressure despite expected Fed rate cuts – S&P

(Reuters) – U.S. banks whose net interest margins (NIM) have been compressed due to higher funding costs are unlikely to see relief before the end of 2024 even if the Federal Reserve cuts rates, research and data analytics firm S&P Global Market Intelligence said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have spurred customers into chasing high-yielding alternatives to bank deposits, such as money market funds.

To stem the migration, banks have offered higher rates of interest on deposits, which has increased costs for an industry already grappling with a slowdown in loan demand as borrowing has become costlier.

Analysts expect NIM compression for 16 of the 20 largest U.S. banks in 2024, with a median decline of 14 basis points for the group, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.

NIM is a key measure of banking profitability which shows how much a bank is earning in interest on loans against the amount it pays depositors.

(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

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