NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Jan 19, 2012) - Major Banks have reported a mixed bag of results this earnings season. While loan growth is on the upswing, banks with a heavy focus on trading struggled in the fourth quarter. As reported in Bloomberg, concerns that the European debt crisis would lead to a global economic slowdown curbed trading volume and investment-banking deals in the year's second half. Five Star Equities examines investing opportunities in the Money Center Banking Industry and provides equity research on Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: [ BAC ]) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: [ JPM ]). Access to the full company reports can be found at:

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Mike Mayo, an analyst at CLSA Ltd., told Bloomberg News that U.S. banks' revenue growth in 2011 was probably the slowest since the Great Depression and is unlikely to improve this year. Acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh recently warned that the Volcker rule's restrictions on proprietary trading and hedge fund investments could put U.S. banks at a competitive disadvantage to their foreign counterparts.

The Volcker rule would curb banks' trading with their own funds and would limit their investments in hedge funds -- restrictions that would reduce their profitability.

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Last week JPMorgan Chase said that it earned $3.72 billion, or 90 cents a share, in the fourth quarter. That was down 23% from the prior year but in line with Thomson Reuters estimates. Europe's debt crisis contributed to a 30% decline in JPMorgan's investment banking revenue, to $4.36 billion, while trading revenue fell 18%.

One of the lone bright spots among the major banks last quarter was Wells Fargo, which relies least on trading among the six biggest U.S. banks. Wells Fargo said a focus on loans helped soften the blow of Europe's debt crisis, with revenue down 4 percent to $20.6 billion.

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