Last year in “Across the Street” Aggressive (page 2) we interviewed Mark Oelschlager, portfolio manager of Pin Oak Equity (POGSX). Mark gave the thumbs up to financial stocks, which many investors were continuing to avoid, despite the attractive valuations. Here’s how Mark’s two recommendations have fared:

The Charles Schwab Corp (NYSE: SCHW). Higher interest rates are likely to benefit Schwab’s banking business and its asset-management revenue. Schwab’s net-interest margin (NIM), the interest- rate spread between its client deposit and loans, is expected to rise eventually to around 3 percent, from 1.2 percent in 2012. Schwab’s NIM averaged 4 percent during 2006-2007.

For 2013, San Francisco-based Schwab is expected to earn 73 cents per share on revenue of $5.3 billion, up 9 percent from 2012. At the end of June, total client assets stood at $2.05 trillion, a 14 percent increase from the year-earlier period. And Schwab’s asset-management unit posted a 15 percent increase in revenue during the second quarter.

Charles Schwab stock is up 61 percent since it was recommended.

Wells Fargo & Co’s (NYSE: WFC) second-quarter 2013 revenue rose 19 percent to $5.5 billion, while adjusted earnings per share jumped 20 percent to 98 cents, marking 14 straight quarters of earnings growth. The continued recovery in the US housing market, and a drop in WFC’s loan-loss reserves due to fewer troubled loans, were the major contributors to the stronger bottom line. Revenue was up just 0.4 percent to $21.4 billion.

Wells Fargo has returned 26 percent since recommended.