Stock futures climbed to session highs on Monday as shares of major U.S. banks advanced following positive comments from influential analyst Meredith Whitney on CNBC television.

Whitney, known for a bearish stance on banks, provided a reassuring assessment of the sector's performance, saying in an interview that Bank of America Corp was the cheapest big bank, relative to tangible book value.

Bank of America shares were up 5 percent before the bell, while a Financial Sector ETF climbed more than 2 percent.

S&P 500 futures jumped 6.40 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures climbed 45 points and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 9.25 points.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

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