Fifth Third Bank 2005 Annual Report Download - page 9

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 9 of the 2005 Fifth Third Bank annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 94

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94

In Closing
Fifth Third has truly been transformed in the last couple
of years, but perhaps not in the manner you would
expect. The growth trajectories of the key drivers in our
business – deposits, fees and loans – remain intact, with
annualized growth rates consistent with Fifth Third’s
standards and historical performance. Change can be
seen, however, in improvements in our commitment to
customer service, use of technology, corporate
governance and capital and risk management. Perhaps
more so than at any time in our history, Fifth Third
today has the infrastructure necessary to aggressively
compete in a consolidating financial services landscape
while maintaining the local market differentiation
provided by our affiliate bank model. In the years to
come, you can expect to see Fifth Third continuing to
increase our presence in high opportunity markets while
remaining mindful of opportunities to establish affiliates
in new metropolitan markets.
I would like to thank our customers, employees, board
members and the communities in our 19 affiliates for
their contributions and continued support. We have
asked a great deal of our employees in 2005, and they
have delivered. However, many challenges remain, and
we still have a lot of work remaining to complete our
shared vision of what Fifth Third can become.
The focus for 2006 will be on continuing to generate
quality deposit and loan growth, enhancing all of our
businesses and gaining market share by meeting more of
the financial services needs of our customers. Our
existing competitive and financial strengths, combined
with superior talent and an enhanced infrastructure and
focus, make me extremely optimistic about the years
to come.
Sincerely,
George A. Schaefer, Jr.
President & Chief Executive Officer
January 2006
“We have asked a great deal of our employees
in 2005, and they have delivered.
However, many challenges remain,
and we still have a lot of work remaining
to complete our shared vision of what
Fifth Third can become.”
7