Top Banks 2022

These 10 large banks posted superior returns between 2019 and 2021.

Western Alliance, in its first appearance on the list of leading banks with more than $50 billion of assets, landed at No. 1. The Phoenix company and the other top performers in this class have either created niche businesses, made acquisitions or done both.

These standout performers all reported a three-year return on average equity above 14%. Two of them topped 20%.

Leading institutions with assets between $10 billion and $50 billion say growth strategies outside their traditional geographic bounds drove strong returns in 2021 and have steeled them for this year's challenges.

Moving its loan operations beyond its geographic footprint, California's US Metro Bank shot up in our rankings of the best-performing community banks.

A combination of higher organic loan growth and fee-based revenue streams powered top-performing banks in 2021.

Our annual ranking of banks looks at the metrics that matter.

State Bankshares in North Dakota was the top performer in the $2 billion to $10 billion asset class in 2021, according to Capital Performance Group. Strong commercial lending, a national mortgage business as well as regional wealth management and insurance units offer diverse sources of growth, a company executive says.

The top 20 banks with assets of $2 billion to $10 billion outshined their peers in loan and revenue growth while maintaining pristine credit quality in 2021, according to a new ranking. Can they do the same this year as recession clouds gather?

Perennial No. 1 Oregon Bancorp, which operates as Willamette Valley Bank, boasts strong sources of fee and interest income, sound underwriting and vibrant geographic markets. It’s a formula shared by many on American Banker's list of the 200 highest-performing publicly traded small banks.