Off Limits, but Blessed by the Fed

The good news arrived in a confidential letter from the Federal Reserve Board in Washington. The nation’s biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase, had won the right to expand its reach in a lucrative business that has nothing to do with banking: electricity.

U.S. banks face profit lull as mortgage boom fizzles

Unexpectedly large quarterly profits at JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co hide a more worrisome forecast for the rest of the year for many U.S. banks. Things could get worse before they get any better.