Richard Bove Banks Quotations

But that cycle is over. The banks are going to get squeezed.

It's increasingly difficult to be a regional broker. There's a lack of trade to worry about, yes, but you're also dealing with pricing weakness, competition from the big New York City companies and the universal banks that offer everything from checking accounts to financial advisory services.

Midwestern banks are accustomed to shifts in the local economies. They plan for it. However, they do not avoid it. They get hurt. Their loan losses rise. Their earnings tumble and their stock prices are impacted. It will happen again.

I think it's clear that the banks that are more tied to the retail sector are going to have a much tougher quarter compared to those with diversified positions. The banks in the retail sector have to deal with interest rate compression, loan volume will be tougher, and they don't have the trading or investment banking that are hot now.

If you believe this a secular story then you should ignore cyclical swings. The banks may have bad quarters every now and then but so what?