Regional US banks say the crisis has been contained but concerns remain

BNC Bank, the so-called Pittsburgh-based super regional lender, said its profits in the first quarter grew about 20 percent from a year earlier. But it may not last.

These loans are financed by deposits which are becoming more expensive. Savers are looking at money market funds and other options with higher returns, forcing banks to pay more to hold their deposits. At PNC, non-interest-bearing deposits fell 5 percent in the first quarter, while interest-bearing deposits rose 2 percent.

This trend, which is happening across the industry, is reducing profit margins and making banks more reluctant to lend. UBS analysts noted that the turnaround in deposits is “ugly, for lack of a better word.”

Said William S.

Commercial real estate is a growing concern.

Regional banks provide the bulk of the loans to the commercial real estate market, and as more attention turns to potential risks lurking in banks’ balance sheets, these loans are making investors anxious. A combination of job vacancies and the coming wave of refinancing at sharply higher rates has forced many banks to set aside more money to prevent defaults.

Bankers said the remote work revolution for clerical staff could permanently reshape the office market. “The office is going to be really challenging for a few years, and it has a lot to do with remote working,” said Michael Morris, chief credit officer of Zions Bancorporation, which is based in Salt Lake City. The bank increased its provisions for credit losses by more than 30 percent in the first quarter compared to last year.

Cleveland-based KeyBank, one of the nation’s largest providers of commercial real estate services, has seen what Christopher Gorman, the bank’s chief executive, described as a “massive surge” in demand for special services, the process of dealing with problem loans. Recently, Mr. Gorman said, office projects have overtaken retail buildings as the largest category of loans in private services.