The ratings on Fifth Third Bancorp (Fifth Third) reflect consistently outstanding financial performance, high-quality earnings, and strong, although declining, capitalization. Double-digit revenue growth, supported by a powerful fee-generating capability, has led to an industry-leading efficiency ratio consistently below 50%. While Fifth Third has been increasing balance-sheet leverage, capital levels remain quite strong and have been maintained through all phases of the economic cycle. Enhancing Fifth Third's core banking business are two fee-generating businesses, Fifth Third Processing Solutions and Investor Advisory Services. These businesses provide a generally stable revenue stream that amounted to approximately 16% of consolidated net income in first-quarter 2004. Finally, the bank's strong earnings generation has allowed capital to accumulate to create a leverage profile among the best
