Bank stocks increased today, as the KBW Banking Index rose 1.50% and the KBW Regional Banking Index rose 4.08%. The broader S&P 500 Index was up 0.70%.

The Bank Index was led by National City, Regions Financial Corporation, and PNC Financial Services Group, which were up 8.14%, 6.75%, and 5.38%, respectively. Lagging on the day were Zions Bancorporation, State Street Corporation, and Bank of New York Mellon, which had losses of 4.57%, 3.95%, and 3.63%.

Leading the Regional Banking Index were Sterling Financial Corporation, Frontier Financial Corporation, and Citizens Republic Bancorp, which were up 9.50%, 9.37%, and 8.88%, respectively. Offsetting these were Provident Bankshares Corporation, Synovus Financial, and National Penn Bancshares, which had losses of 6.10%, 1.50%, and 0.70%.