Financial Results

Northern Trust Third Quarter Net Income Rises 40 Per Cent, Wealth Fees Rise

Editorial Staff 22 October 2026

Northern Trust Third Quarter Net Income Rises 40 Per Cent, Wealth Fees Rise

The Chicago-based bank’s wealth management fees rose 9 per cent to $611.5 million, led by a 16 per cent rise in Global Family Office fees, as AuM reached $1.963 trillion.

Northern Trust has reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $642.9 million, up 40 per cent from $457.6 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share were $3.40, against $2.29 in the prior-year quarter.

Total revenues, which include trust, investment and other servicing fees and net interest income, rose 13 per cent year-on-year to $2.302 billion. Profit was down from the second quarter, when net income was $792.2 million and diluted earnings per share were $4.23, it said in a statement yesterday.

Wealth management trust, investment and other servicing fees rose 9 per cent to $611.5 million. Global Family Office fees grew 16 per cent to $117.2 million, while private wealth fees rose 8 per cent to $494.3 million.

The quarter included $48.7 million of pre-tax gains, or $36.8 million after tax, recognised in other operating income. Of that, $34 million came from the sale of the guardianship services business. The remaining $14.7 million related to Northern Trust’s participation in Visa’s second exchange offer.

AuM rose 11 per cent from the end of September 2025 to $1.963 trillion. Assets under custody rose 9 per cent to $15.8 trillion. 

The bank’s Common Equity Tier 1 ratio was 12.4 per cent on a standardised basis, unchanged from a year earlier. Shares in the bank have risen about 19.5 per cent since the start of the year.

Northern Trust’s custody rivals reported last week. At BNY, net income applicable to common shareholders rose 20 per cent year-on-year to $1.608 billion, with total fee revenue up 12 per cent. BNY’s assets under custody and administration rose 10 per cent to $63.4 trillion, while AuM grew 2 per cent to $2.2 trillion. Its CET1 ratio fell to 10.9 per cent from 11.7 per cent a year earlier.

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