21.   Bank profits often depend on how much more than benchmark rates they can charge for money.

22.   Banking shares, including American depositary receipts of Banco BHIF SA, fell after banking regulators said Chilean bank profits fell during the first two months of the year.

23.   Bank profits are likely to suffer when interest rates are higher because they have to pay their customers more for deposits.

24.   Bank profits tend to rise when interest rates fall, as economic growth and demand for loans pick up.

25.   Banking shares rose amid fading investor concern that rising interest rates would erode bank profits.

26.   A central bank cut in bank reserve ratios, for example, would help raise bank profits by expanding the amount of funds that can be loaned to customers.

27.   Canadian stocks rose to their fourth record this week on expectations of higher-than-anticipated bank profits in the first quarter.

28.   Coming as the economy struggles out of recession, these have squeezed bank profits and in some cases generated immense losses.

29.   Competition among banks is increasing, letting companies strike better deals, which cuts into bank profits.

30.   Fading concern that rising interest rates would erode bank profits helped the shares, traders said.