Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., U.S. Bancorp and American International Group Inc. are among a group of financial-services firms that could benefit from the recent credit crisis, according to analysts at Bernstein Research, MarketWatch reported.

Goldman may be in the best position, because the investment bank has avoided write-downs, negative credit rating actions and declines in its core franchises. “This will allow Goldman to profit from opportunities in the distressed markets and expand its global capital market share at the expense of the universal banks and its brokerage competitors,” the analysts said.

Wells Fargo’s focus on mortgage servicing and strong balance sheet, which will allow it to fund new mortgage assets with more attractive risk-adjusted returns, means it also could gain from the current economic climate. U.S. Bancorp may also fare well because of its strong reserve coverage, revenue diversification, operating efficiency and superior capital generation, the analysts said.

Meanwhile, the analysts expect AIG’s stock to rally by nearly 50 percent despite its broad exposure to the credit crisis, because it is positioned to be selective in investing in distressed assets, grab market share in the mortgage guaranty business and make acquisitions in consumer finance.