The bank’s financial health was underpinned by a $41 million rise in taxable-equivalent net interest income, which reached $1.8 billion. This growth was fueled by an expansion in average loan balances, which grew by $3.0 billion across all categories, including a notable $2.3 billion surge in commercial and industrial lending. Despite a competitive environment, the net interest margin held steady at 3.70%.

Noninterest expenses saw a meaningful reduction, falling 6% from the previous quarter to $1.349 billion. This decline was largely attributed to the normalization of seasonal salary and benefit costs that had impacted the first quarter. Reflecting on the results, Chief Financial Officer Daryl N. Bible noted that the performance underscores the resilience of the company’s franchise and the ongoing commitment of its staff to client and community service.

Asset quality also showed improvement, with net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans dropping to 0.23%, down from 0.31% in the first quarter. M&T Bank maintained a strong capital position, with an estimated Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 10.19%. During the quarter, the company returned value to shareholders by repurchasing 2.1 million shares of common stock at a total cost of $465 million.