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Wells Fargo expects record Q1 profit

  Wells Fargo expects record Q1 profit

No big bank was supposed to utter the words "record" and "profit" in the same sentence this year. But Wells Fargo said Thursday it earned about $3 billion for the first quarter - its highest income ever, and twice what analysts predicted.

The unexpected peek into the bank's official results, which will be released in two weeks, was a welcome sign of improvement in one of the most troubled and critical industries in the U.S. economy.

SF Chronicle-04/09/2009