First Republic continues tanking, but other regional banks are rallying on Monday

FAN Editor

A trader works at the post where First Republic Bank stock is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, March 16, 2023.

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Shares of First Republic Bank, which have become the barometer of the regional bank crisis, slid once again Monday after Standard & Poor’s cut the credit rating of the San Francisco-based institution, but shares of rival banks were moving higher.

S&P reduced its credit rating for First Republic to B+ from BB+ on Sunday after first lowering it to junk status just last week. The rating remains on CreditWatch Negative, said S&P.

related investing news

The stock fell 21% on Monday, adding to a decline of more than 80% already this month that came as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank caused investors to rethink other banks with large uninsured deposit bases.

Stock Chart IconStock chart icon

hide content

First Republic Bank, 1-day

Despite First Republic’s decline, the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF gained 3.3% on Monday. PacWest Bancorp jumped 17%, while KeyCorp and Zions Bancorp climbed 3% and 6%, respectively.

And shares of New York Community Bancorp, which agreed to buy shuttered Signature Bank over the weekend, jumped more than 30%.

On Thursday, a group of major banks agreed to deposit $30 billion in First Republic to shore up confidence in regional banks. But the bank also suspended its dividend and said it had just about $34 billion in cash through March 15, not counting the new deposits.

“The deposit infusion from 11 U.S. banks, the company’s disclosure that borrowings from the Fed range from $20 billion to $109 billion and borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) increased by $10 billion, and the suspension of its common stock dividend collectively lead us to the view that the bank was likely under high liquidity stress with substantial deposit outflows over the past week,” stated S&P in its note Sunday.

First Republic could see further moves to shore up its balance sheet, including a potential sales. CNBC’s David Faber reported on Monday that First Republic has hired an investment bank to advise it on potential options. However, a roughly $25 billion hole in the bank’s balance sheet caused by deposit outflows and the decline of long-term bonds and mortgages is a hurdle for the deal and no serious bidders have emerged, sources familiar with the situation told Faber.

In Europe, UBS bought Credit Suisse over the weekend in a forced tie-up facilitated by Swiss regulators to stop the banking crisis from spreading globally. Credit Suisse executives noted that the U.S. regional bank turmoil caused enough instability that forced the already shaky institution to merge with its rival.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Laffer: More China Cash to Biden Family Revealed

OAN Newsroom6:43 AM – Monday, March 20, 2023 New financial documents revealed Thursday show deeper ties between the Biden Family and the Chinese Communist Party tied money. One America’s Chief White House Correspondent, Chanel Rion, has more from the White House. Free America Network Articles