Among the banks I like, Regions Financial (RF) has been pretty underwhelming, with the shares lagging their peer group by about 4% since my last update and a few percentage points over the past year as well, as the Street remains unimpressed with the weak loan growth, ongoing credit costs, and limited capital opportunities. None of that is going to be fixed by fourth quarter earnings; Regions didn't post a bad quarter, but guidance for positive operating leverage doesn't seem to have convinced the Street, particularly in light of weak lending performance.
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