Bank of America profits swing higher

Bank of America profits swung higher in the second quarter, the firm announced Wednesday, as it reported net income of $2.5 billion. That was up markedly from the same period last year, when one-off accounting charges -- designed to guard against liabilities -- saw the bank post a loss of $8.8 billion. But last year's charges masked what was otherwise a weaker performance by the bank last quarter. Revenues at the firm's consumer and business banking units were down from $8.7 billion in the second quarter last year to $7.3 billion in the same quarter this year. Revenues at the global banking, global markets and global wealth and investment divisions were all down. Brian Moynihan, chief executive officer, put a positive spin on the numbers. "Lending to commercial businesses increased for the sixth straight quarter -- with small business lending and commitments up 23 percent in a year -- and consumer credit is in the best shape in years," he said.