Battered Banks Look for Earnings Boost

It's show-me time for the banks.

The nation's biggest financial institutions are getting set to issue second-quarter earnings reports this week. JPMorgan Chase(JPM Quote) will lead the profit parade off Wednesday, to be followed in short order by Citigroup(C Quote), Bank of America(BAC Quote) and Wachovia(WB Quote), among others.

The big banks have been showing solid numbers, but shares across the sector have been hit this year by worries about possible credit losses and slowing revenue gains. Smaller regional banks have struggled to overcome loan losses fueled by a declining housing market. ...