First Niagara Financial Group (NASDAQ: FNFG) earned $58.5 million in the fourth quarter, up more than 27 percent from a year earlier.
Earnings per share in the period totaled 19 cents, up from 22 cents in the fourth quarter of 2010. For the full year in 2011, First Niagara earned $173.9 million, or 64 cents a share, compared with $140.4 million, or 70 cents a share, in 2010.