Bank of America Corp. posted a $5.9 billion profit applicable to common
shareholders in the third quarter, beating analysts' expectations, though
the results were largely driven by one-time gains, from accounting changes
to asset sales.
The Charlotte-based bank made about 56 cents per common share, compared to a
loss of $7.6 billion, or 77 cents per share, a year ago. That marks a
turnaround from last quarter, too, when the bank recorded its worst loss
ever, $9.1 billion, including preferred dividend payments.
The third-quarter results reflect the bank's ongoing efforts to streamline
the company, including a $3.6 billion pre-tax gain on the sale of shares of
China Construction Bank. Accounting changes also helped, such as a $4.5
billion gain on fair value adjustments of structured liabilities.