Bank stocks declined today, as worries lingered about possible nationalization of the banking sector and dilution of bank shareholders by government capital infusions. The KBW Banking Index fell 3.02% and the KBW Regional Banking Index fell 1.55%. However, the broader S&P 500 Index was up 0.56%.

The Bank Index was led by Regions Financial Corporation, U.S. Bank, and Zions Bancorporation, which were down 12.02%, 11.13%, and 10.10%, respectively. The best performers of the day were State Street Corporation, JP Morgan Chase, and PNC Financial Services Group, which had gains of 5.57%, 0.91%, and 0.66%.

Leading the Regional Banking Index lower were Webster Financial Corporation, Wintrust Financial Corporation, and First Horizon National Corporation, which were down 13.32%, 7.86%, and 6.16%, respectively. The best performers of the day were UCBH Holdings, Boston Private Financial Holdings, and First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, which had gains of 9.17%, 5.99%, and 5.39%.