When FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg issued the release of the fourth quarter 2023 quarterly banking profile (3/7/2024), he had many good things to say about the state of our economy. He also added some cautionary statements about what “could go…
All New Bank Star-Ratings and Data
All Bauer bank star-ratings and reports are now updated with year-end 2023 financial data. What we are paying particular attention to with this set of data is loan quality. U.S. banks reported year/year increases in all nonperforming loan categories: delinquent…
What a Capital One-Discover Combo Looks Like
You’ve likely already heard or read about the proposed acquisition of Discover Bank by Capital One. What you may not realize is how this combination would change the credit card landscape. If approved, three big banks would hold more than 50%…
To Branch or Not to Branch
While some are content with the status quo, 17% of federally-insured credit unions indicated on their September 30th Call reports that they intend to add at least one more branch location in the next twelve months. One of these credit…
President Lincoln Might Have Banked Here
With Presidents’ Day just around the corner, we thought it was a great time to commemorate community banks that have stood the test of time and thrived. To that end, we have a list of 50 community banks that are…
Higher Salaries Come at a Cost
We all like to get our jobs done in the most efficient way that’s practical, but for banks there are many factors that go into the efficiency equation that don’t apply to the average person. How new is the institution?…
6 Banks Hold 50% of Consumer Loans
Hard to believe, but it’s true. Only 6 (Big) banks hold 50% of all industry loans to consumers. While 50 banks hold a full 90%. That means that just 10% of consumer loans were extended by the other 4,500 plus…
Loan Quality: Fair But Partly Cloudy
Between 9/30/22 and 9/30/23, loans 90 days or more past due increased 17.6%. Short-term (30-89 days) past dues increased 9%. We are very curious to see what year-end data looks like as we are already seeing signs of deterioration with…
Bank Branch Closures Exceeded 1,500 in 2023
Last year, over 300 banks shed in excess of 1,500 branch offices. Three Big Banks, Wells Fargo Bank, PNC Bank, and Truist Bank, with a combined net loss of 650 branches, were responsible for 40% of those lost branches. When Big Banks…
Large Bank Acquisitions of 2023
In addition to some very high-profile bank failures, 2023 witnessed several other large bank mergers and acquisitions, in spite of “supposed” increased scrutiny on these combinations. Some of the largest can be found on page 5 of this week’s issue of Jumbo…