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Top
100 Community Banks U.S.
Banker Magazine Whoever
said that size matters never spent time with the CEO of one of the nation’s
Top 100 Performing Community Banks. To be sure, these small publicly-traded
firms are not on the average investor’s radar screen. Still, go a few
rounds with these guys and you quickly learn that first-rate management
and company performance have been long overshadowed by the P/E multiples
of the dot-com gold rush. Warren
Buffett once said that “it’s not until the tide goes out that you see
who’s been swimming naked.” This reality check has been good for investors
and lesser known companies alike. With as much to gain as lose in the
market, community banks are beefing up their services, honing their
customer management skills and focusing on performance. In this issue,
U.S. Banker presents its annual ranking of the best of the smallest
publicly traded banks. Banks are ranked based on average return on equity
over a three-year period (1999-2001). Additionally, readers can compare
how each bank has fared over this same period in total assets, EPS (diluted)
and risk-adjusted capital ratio (These factors are not weighted and
do not contribute to the ranking.). Best
in class for 2002: #1-ranked S.Y. Bancorp in Kentucky and #2-ranked
Franklin Financial in Tennessee. What follows is the ranking and profiles
of S.Y. Bancorp’s David Brooks and Franklin Financial’s Richard Herrington. |
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