51.   NatWest has been under increasing criticism because investment bank profit is not increasing quickly enough.

52.   Overstaffing is also one of the biggest drains on Italian bank profits.

53.   Rising interest rates hurt bank profits as they have to pay more for deposits.

54.   Rising interest rates shrink bank profits by narrowing the spread between interest paid to depositors and interest earned from payments on loans.

55.   Rising interest rates squeeze bank profits by increasing rates they must pay depositors.

56.   Record bank profits have helped financial services stocks outpace the broader market this year.

57.   Rising rates would hurt bank profits by narrowing the spread between interest paid for new deposits and interest earned on existing loans.

58.   SOUTH KOREAN stocks were mixed, paring early gains, on concern mounting corporate defaults will spread to more companies and crush bank profits.

59.   That weighs on bank profits and on economic growth and makes it difficult for the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates from their historic lows.

60.   The new competition could squeeze bank profits in the future.