Excluding one-time factors, non-interest expenses for the year declined 2.4 percent.

Analysts noted that Citicorp's profits were also helped by a sharp cut in the growth of non-interest expenses.

And non-interest expense, an area that all the major banks interested in investment banking have been trying to control, rose 16 percent, to $399.8 million.

Over all, its non-interest expenses rose $44.6 million, or 7.2 percent.

Although Morgan reduced its staff by 368, to 15,363 during 1988, its non-interest expenses rose 11.7 percent.

Wells benefited from the good credit quality of its loan portfolio and strict control over non-interest expenses.

The gains were offset by a 7.6 percent rise in non-interest expenses, to $642.2 million, mostly related to the Horizon acquisition.

First, the acquiring bank should be strong in controlling its non-interest expenses.

The company said in the latest quarter it reduced non-interest expenses by $1,100,000.

Chase appeared to be best in this regard; its non-interest expense rose only 1.6 percent, to $847.9 million from $834.4 million.