...Earnings Performance Drives Outlook Revision: Fifth Third Bancorp's (FITB, or the company) ratings reflect the company's conservative risk appetite, solid capital profile and good liquidity levels. The October 2016 Rating Outlook revision to Negative from Stable reflects a financial profile, particularly earnings, that is no longer differentiated from its lower rated peers. Successful execution of Project North Star initiatives, as well as higher rates, may contribute to higher earnings over the near to intermediate term. Capital Ratios Remain Solid: FITB's capital profile remains solid, with an estimated fully phased-in Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio under Basel III of approximately 10.3% at YE16, up 57 bps from a year ago due to both retained earnings growth, as well as lower balances of risk-weighted assets. Conversely, FITB's peers CET1 ratios decreased approximately 16 bps, on average excluding FITB, during the same period. Fitch Ratings views FITB's capital as good for its risk...
