The highest performing small regional banks were more efficient, had higher returns and were better capitalized than their peers.
Each year, American Banker releases a list of the top-performing banks by different asset categories. Each ranking is based on three-year average returns on average equity of each institution and is compiled by Capital Performance Group. This year's list, which used year-end 2022 data, found that the top 10 performers with $10 billion to $50 billion of assets had a median ROAE of 17.03%. That's almost double the 9.64% for the entire group.
The median efficiency ratio for the top banks totaled 50.04%, compared with 53.83% for the entire asset class. Additionally, two key capital measures — total risk-based capital ratio and Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio — were stronger at 14.03% and 13.06% respectively for the top 10. These figures for the entire group were 13.98% and 12.15%, according to Capital Performance Group's data.
Missouri was the only state to have two top 10 financial institutions based there — Commerce Bancshares in Kansas City and Stifel Financial in St. Louis — in 2022.
Please read on for more details on the top 10 banks. For additional financial metrics on these top performers and other banks in this asset category, please visit
