Bank stocks increased today, as comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke boosted investors’ hopes of increased efforts to stabilize banks. The KBW Banking Index rose 1.82% and the KBW Regional Banking Index rose 2.20%. The broader S&P 500 Index was up only 0.18%.

The Bank Index was led by KeyCorp, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup, which were up 6.17%, 5.78%, and 5.36%, respectively. Lagging on the day were Bank of America, Huntington Bancshares Incorporated, and Synovus Financial, which had losses of 6.82%, 1.66%, and 1.21%.

Leading the Regional Banking Index were South Financial Group, Prosperity Bancshares, and Citizens Republic Bancorp, which were up 10.29%, 10.28%, and 8.78%, respectively. Offsetting these were Old National Bancorp, UCBH Holdings, and Webster Financial Corporation, which had losses of 3.14%, 2.77%, and 1.85%.