The $26.2-billion-asset company's profit fell roughly 31% from a year earlier, to $14.8 million, or about 2 cents a share.
Net interest income fell 10% from a year earlier, to roughly $200 million. The net interest margin compressed 12 basis points from a year earlier, to 3.43%.
Noninterest income decreased 23% from a year earlier, to $64.7 million. The first quarter of 2012 included a $20 million securities gain. Excluding that item, noninterest income was relatively flat.
Noninterest expense fell 10% from a year earlier, to $182.3 million.
The company's loan portfolio shrank by 2% from a year earlier, to $19.4 billion. The loan-loss provision fell 46% from the first quarter of 2012, to $35.7 million, while chargeoffs fell 40%, to $57.3 million.
"We achieved broad-based credit quality improvement during the quarter, including a 40% reduction in nonperforming loan inflows from the first quarter of last year," Kessell Stelling, Synovus' chief executive, said in a press release.
"Our keen focus on expense management continues, and our initiatives to reduce core expenses by $30 million in 2013 are well on track."
