Last month, I invested a bit over $12,000 to buy 486 shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB), a Cincinnati-based super-regional bank that looks very much like it has been far more conservatively managed than the banks that failed earlier this calendar year.

As someone who has lived near Cincinnati, I'm familiar with that bank and its reputation for prudently managing its own balance sheet.  Indeed, it's that penchant for prudence that attracted me to consider such a substantial investment in a bank at a time when so many people are worried about rising interest rates affecting their operations.

So far, that investment looks like it could very well pay off over time. Indeed, with its recent announcement that it is increasing its quarterly shareholder payment to $0.35 per share from $0.33, my $12,000 investment is already paying bigger dividends.

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Source Fool.com