[jsfg_cinti] News to brighten your day

From this morning's Enquirer.  I hope this is true.

Industry notes: Banking


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Lenders shift market focus

By Jeff McKinney
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Many large banks, including those with Tristate operations, are hoping that 
business lending will be a key to higher profits this year. That would be a 
shift from last year when consumer lending helped fuel earnings.

Several banks, including Cincinnati's Fifth Third Bancorp and Columbus' 
Huntington Bancshares Inc., have told Wall Street banking analysts that 
they are leaning toward more lending to medium-sized businesses as demand 
for mortgage and consumer lending will weaken, particularly if the economy 
improves and interest rates rise.

Fifth Third executives told analysts last week after reporting record 
earnings for 2002 that the middle market remains brisk, offering more 
potential loan growth.

And executives at Huntington Bancshares, which operates 28 branches 
locally, said it will focus on business lending this year to help boost 
overall profits.

Fifth Third unit adds two clients

Fifth Third Bank Processing Solutions, formerly known as Midwest Payment 
Systems, has signed two deals that could generate up to $725,000 in 
additional fee income for its parent company.

The Fifth Third data-processing unit will process more than 950,000 debit 
and credit card transactions a year for Tulsa, Okla.-based May's Drug 
Stores Inc.

The unit also has agreed to handle online debit processing for Nashville, 
Tenn.-based footwear maker and retailer Genesco. It will process more than 
500,000 transactions annually for Genesco's Journeys, Journey Kidz, Jarman 
and Underground Station stores.

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