Fitch Ratings has upgraded its outlook on two Canadian banks, CIBC and Royal Bank of Canada.

The rating agency said today that it has affirmed RBC’s rating and removed it from negative rating watch, although its troubled U.S. subsidiary, RBC Centura Banks Inc., and its subsidiaries remain on rating watch. The rating watch was placed on both entities in September 2004 following a senior management reshuffle and a restructuring charge, as well as continued difficulties and missteps in the company’s U.S. operation.

Fitch now says that, since that time, Royal Bank has improved its overall financial performance despite the continued lackluster although improving results from their U.S. operation. “The continuation of the negative rating watch for RBC Centura reflects the additional work the company still needs to do to achieve adequate returns from its U.S. Operation,” it explains.

The firm has also revised its outlook on the ratings of CIBC to stable from negative. “In taking this action, Fitch notes that CIBC has navigated through many challenges in the past few years, has now dealt with most of those issues, and is today positioned with a lower risk profile,” it says.

“Through the past 18 months, CIBC has been able to refocus and stabilize its corporate and investment bank under new management, while maintaining its market leadership in Canada. CIBC has also divested of certain, non-strategic businesses including Juniper Financial (U.S. credit cards) and its minority interests in a bank in Trinidad & Tobago,” it adds.

“Litigation and regulatory issues remain an area of uncertainty, although CIBC has set aside reserves for Enron-related litigation and legal and regulatory matters pertaining to the bank’s role in financing hedge funds that engaged in market timing in mutual funds. While these matters could still involve additional costs, Fitch believes CIBC is now much better positioned to absorb those possible costs,” it concludes.