Fifth Third Says New Banking App Drives Engagement, Originations

Fifth Third Bancorp’s investments in physical branches and digital tools paid off in fourth-quarter operating results that included record net interest income and 230 basis points of positive operating leverage, company executives said Tuesday (Jan. 20).

These results were driven by the bank’s consistent investment in and focus on growth priorities, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President Tim Spence said in an earnings release.

During 2025, Fifth Third added 50 branches in high-growth Southeast markets, according to the release. The bank opened 27 of these branches in the fourth quarter alone, Fifth Third Bancorp Chief Financial Officer Bryan Preston said Tuesday during a fourth quarter earnings call.

The new branches included the bank’s 200th branch in Florida and its 100th in the Carolinas, Spence said during the call.

“De novo branches continue to deliver deposit growth that is 45% higher than peer de novo branches,” Spence said.

Fifth Third executives also credited continuing investments in digital transformation for setting the bank apart from competitors. During 2025, Fifth Third shipped more than 400 updates to its mobile banking app, including the additions of direct deposit switching, a financial wellness hub and free estate planning capabilities, Spence said.

The bank saw its digital engagement and digital originations increase during the year. The number of average active digital users increased from 3.09 million to 3.19 million, the number of average active mobile users rose from 2.37 million to 2.49 million, the share of digital assisted mortgage applications inched up from 97% to 98% and the share of new consumer deposit accounts that were digital originations climbed from 28% to 31%, according to a presentation released in conjunction with the earnings call.

Fifth Third executives expect the bank’s gains to continue its momentum as the firm completes its merger with Comerica. Spence said during the call that now that it has received regulatory and shareholder approvals, the bank expects the transaction to close on Feb. 1.

Among the benefits of the merger are the ability of Fifth Third to build out Comerica’s retail banking business with the “Fifth Third Playbook” and 150 de novo branches in Texas, and to create “a differentiated innovation banking business” by combining Comerica’s tech and life sciences vertical with Fifth Third’s embedded finance platform Newline, Spence said.

“Looking ahead, I am even more confident in our ability to realize the benefits of the combination, which will support continued peer-leading returns and efficiency in 2027 and beyond,” Spence said.

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