The Red Flag in Bank of America's Earnings Call

Bank of America Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan was downright optimistic in his remarks on the company's fourth-quarter conference call Thursday. The company's$0.25 in earnings per share marked an improvement for the bank from the third quarter's $0.04 loss, even though it fell 22% short of consensus analysts estimates.

The fourth quarter also marked a major milestone as the bank completed its "New BAC" cost-cutting program. That program should save the bank more than $8 billion a year in costs.

But I don't buy the optimism. If anything, I'm more discouraged than ever. Here's why.

First things first: I recognize what Bank of America could beBank of America has huge potential. The bank has an expansive branch network that feeds a low-cost, reliable source of funds into the bank. It has the size, the products, and the franchise to be one of the very best.

In my view, though, the bank will never do that, and the reason is simple: credit culture.

When former CEO Ken Lewis left the bank back in 2009, I thought the bank may have a fighting chance. Brian Moynihan was promoted to CEO based on his plans to simplify the bank, reduce risk, and fundamentally change the bank's culture. After five years and much progress, I see signs that Moynihan may have fallen into the same trap that has plagued B of A for decades.

Brian Moynihan. Source: World Economic Forum via Wikimedia Commons.

Focusing on the wrong thingsIn his opening remarks Thursday, Moynihan was quick to point out the improvements the bank has made in recent years. These include reducing expenses -- he mentioned reducing headcount two separate times in his opening remarks -- simplifying the bank, and executing the plan the board of directors hired him to implement.

And, to be fair, it really is a good thing that the bank has reduced its overhead expenses and simplified its operations. Undoubtedly, those expenses had become bloated over time. But to focus so much on these costs and give only a passing mention of credit quality and loan losses was a major mistake and a huge red flag for me as a potential B of A shareholder.

The banks that showed the greatest strength during the financial crisis -- banks like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase -- are now preparing to grow reserves (think of reserves as rainy-day funds for banks) and getting ready for the next shift in the credit cycle. Meanwhile, Bank of America seems completely unconcerned about that possibility. It basically said as much, in plain English, on the call Thursday.

It wasn't until more than halfway through the Q&A portion of the call that B of A executives actually addressed the issue, and that was only because of a question from Guggenheim analyst Mark Wasserstrom. Here's the exchange, edited slightly for clarity and brevity:

When I heard this response, I shuddered. If there is one certainty in banking, it's that the economy will improve and then deteriorate. It's cyclical -- this is fact.

In their respective conference calls, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Wells Fargo chief John Stumpf both discussed their risk-management preparations and the likely increase in reserves at the two banks in 2015. And then we hear that B of A management thinks they "are probably a little bit different"? I think Bank of America management should take this read from fellow Fool John Maxfield to heart.

Reading the tea leavesM&T Bank CEO Robert Wilmers -- who, in my opinion,is the best bank CEO of the past 25 years -- has said that he "understood [his] own role to includethat as the chief risk officer and expected other members of managementto focus as keenly on risks, defined broadly, as they did on their otherresponsibilities."

True, I'm reading between the lines in this analysis. I am not present in Moynihan and company's day-to-day business. Risk management may characterize B of A employees just like it does at M&T, Wells Fargo, or JPMorgan. But I seriously doubt that's the case.

If it were, then risk management would have been displayed front and center in the bank's conference call. Moynihan would have gone out of his way to address it. CFO Thompson would have brought it up in a meaningful way well before the second half of the Q&A portion of the call. It would have been at the top of his mind.

And it clearly wasn't.

The article The Red Flag in Bank of America's Earnings Call originally appeared on Fool.com.

Jay Jenkins has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.