Correspondent Blog

FDIC-insured “Problem Banks” list has been increasing over the past two years.  For the community banking industry (banks under $10B in assets), this is particularly troubling as the number of community banks earning negative return on equity (ROE) spiked to 237 institutions in Q1/24, or 5.71% of all community banks. Bank ROE is now a…

The average return on equity (ROE) for the banking industry declined to 11.10% in Q1/24 (a 23 percent decline in the last year). For banks under $10B in assets, ROE declined to 10.53% in Q1/24 (an 11% decline in the last year). The typical published analysis considers the industry in aggregate which conflates the challenges…

The banking industry’s return on equity (ROE) was 14.42% as of Q1/23 and so far is looking materially lower for Q2/23. How should community banks target and compare their ROE to the industry and their peer group, and what defines a top-performing bank?  Most importantly, is there an ROE level ensuring a bank remains long-term…