BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) _ Regions Financial Corp. (RF) on Friday reported second-quarter net income of $790 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.

The bank, based in Birmingham, Alabama, said it had earnings of 77 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 52 cents per share.

The holding company for Regions Bank posted revenue of $1.63 billion in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $1.58 billion, also exceeding Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.55 billion.

Regions Financial shares have increased 18% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P's 500 index has risen 16%. The stock has increased 76% in the last 12 months.

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on RF at https://www.zacks.com/ap/RF

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