Operating leverage measures how much a company's profits are affected by changes in sales volume. When a business has high operating leverage, small increases in sales can lead to much larger increases in profit, much like a lever amplifies force. It matters to investors because it indicates how sensitive a company's earnings are to fluctuations in sales, affecting risk and potential returns.
net interest marginfinancial
Net interest margin measures how much a bank earns from lending and investing compared with what it pays for funding, expressed as a percentage of its interest-earning assets. Think of it like a grocery store’s markup: it shows the gap between buying cost and selling price per dollar of goods — here, the cost is interest paid and the sale is interest received. Investors watch it because a higher margin usually means a bank is more profitable and better at managing interest rate and credit conditions.
return of capitalfinancial
Return of capital is when an investor receives money from their investment that is not considered profit or earnings but rather a portion of the original amount they invested. It’s similar to getting back part of your initial savings rather than gains from it. This matters because it can affect how much money an investor still has in the investment and may have tax implications.
Form 8-Kregulatory
A Form 8-K is a report that companies file with the government to share important news quickly, such as changes in leadership, major business deals, or financial updates. It matters because it helps investors stay informed about significant events that could affect the company's value or stock price.
Positive Operating Leverage of 1.3% QoQ and 5.2% YoY on an Underlying basis
2025 Net Income of $1.8 billion and EPS of $3.86, up 14% and 19% on an Underlying basis, respectively
PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CFG or “Citizens”) today reported fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results. The earnings press release, investor presentation, and financial supplement are available at http://investor.citizensbank.com. In addition, these materials will be furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on a Form 8-K and will be available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
“We are pleased to report good fourth quarter and full year results that reflect strong execution of our key growth initiatives and continued improvement in our net interest margin,” said Chairman and CEO Bruce Van Saun. “Our strong fee growth was paced by Capital Markets and Wealth, we continue to achieve positive operating leverage, up 5% in Q4 vs. prior year, our credit costs are trending favorably, and we delivered an 80% return of capital to shareholders for the year. The Private Bank hit year end deposits of $14.5 billion, delivering 7% accretion to our bottom line at a 25% ROE. I would like to thank our colleague base for their fine effort and dedication in continuing to serve our customers well and in positioning us for a strong 2026 and bright future.”
Citizens also announced today that its board of directors declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.46 per share. The dividend is payable on February 18, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 4, 2026.
As previously announced, Citizens will host a live conference call to review its fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results. Interested parties may access the call and related materials through the following details:
Replay Information: A replay of the conference call will be available beginning at 12:00 pm ET on January 21, 2026 through February 21, 2026. The webcast replay will be available at http://investor.citizensbank.com under Events & Presentations.
About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $226.4 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail, private banking, wealth management and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,100 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. Consumer Banking includes Citizens Private Bank and Private Wealth, which integrate banking services and wealth management solutions to serve high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as investors, entrepreneurs and businesses. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X, LinkedIn or Facebook.
Cautionary Statement About Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statement that does not describe historical or current facts is a forward-looking statement. These statements often include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “goals,” “targets,” “initiatives,” “potentially,” “probably,” “projects,” “prospects,” “outlook,” “guidance” or similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “likely,” ”should,” “would,” and “could.” Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management, and on information currently available to management. Our statements speak as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update these statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those contained in such statements in light of new information or future events. We caution you, therefore, against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. More information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 as filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
