Fifth Third Bancorp shareholders re-elected all 16 directors, ratified Deloitte & Touche as external auditor and approved the company’s executive compensation plan at the bank’s annual meeting held at 11:30 a.m.
Tim Spence, who led the meeting as chairman, chief executive officer and president, told shareholders that 2025 was “benign” but “yet defined by uncertainty,” and said the bank’s operating priorities were “stability, profitability, and growth in that order.” He added that Fifth Third was focused on “getting 1% better every day” and investing for the future.
Michael Powell said notice of the meeting was first mailed on March 9, 2026, and that shareholders of record were set as of Feb. 24, 2026. Powell also said a quorum was present, while Broadridge’s Peter Descovich served as inspector of election. The company presented three proposals: electing 16 directors to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of shareholders, ratifying Deloitte & Touche for 2026 and holding an advisory vote on pay for the company’s named executive officers.
The meeting came as management said the Comerica combination was still moving forward after nearly three months, with confidence in cultural alignment and a focus on execution, client continuity, talent retention and realizing scale and capability benefits. Spence said Fifth Third had been more cautious than others about lending tied to data centers and private credit funds, a reminder that the bank is trying to balance growth with restraint even as it pursues a larger strategic deal.
That balance is the story behind the routine votes. The shareholders signed off on governance and pay, but the sharper signal came from management’s message: Fifth Third is pressing ahead with a measured strategy, and the Comerica combination now depends less on broad promise than on execution.