"It's a step," conceded a chief executive, who would not give his name.

But executives concede it may take time for investors to respond to the good news.

Among the problems, executives concede, was that its pricing strategy was wrong.

The executives conceded that they had been remarkably naive in their first big moves overseas.

Some executives concede that they have not been effective at promotion.

But the housing market was only half the problem, executives conceded.

"We're running behind on the Escape hybrid," the executive conceded.

Fleet's business, which depends on government policy, worries investors, the bank's executives concede.

But the short term, all the executives conceded, is a total loss.

Some executives concede that business brought the opprobrium on itself.