Banking Glossary

Our proprietary score that summarises a bank's overall financial health on a scale of 0 to 10. It is calculated from three pillars — ROA, ROE, and the Equity-to-Assets ratio — weighted as follows: ROA (30%), ROE (30%), Equity/Assets (40%). A score of 8–10 indicates an exceptionally well-run bank; 5–7 is healthy and stable; below 5 warrants scrutiny. If a bank does not report one or more metrics to the FDIC (common for foreign branches), the score is calculated proportionally from the available metrics and displayed as N/A if no metrics are reported at all.

Measures how efficiently a bank converts its assets (loans, investments, securities) into net income. Formula: Net Income ÷ Average Total Assets. A healthy bank typically targets ROA > 1.0%. Banks below 0% are operating at a loss. Foreign branches and some specialised entities may not report this to the FDIC.

📏 Benchmark: > 1.0% = Healthy · 0–1% = Adequate · < 0% = Concern

Measures how much profit a bank generates with the money shareholders have invested. Formula: Net Income ÷ Average Shareholders' Equity. A healthy bank targets ROE > 10%. High ROE can also indicate a highly leveraged (risky) bank, so always read it alongside the Equity/Assets ratio.

📏 Benchmark: > 10% = Healthy · 5–10% = Moderate · < 5% = Weak

Measures what percentage of a bank's total assets are funded by shareholder equity rather than debt. A higher ratio means the bank can absorb more losses before failing. Formula: Total Equity ÷ Total Assets × 100. Regulators flag banks below 8% as undercapitalised.

📏 Benchmark: > 10% = Well-capitalised · 8–10% = Adequately capitalised · < 8% = Under-capitalised

An independent U.S. government agency created in 1933. Its two primary roles are: (1) insuring deposits up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, per account category — meaning your money is safe even if the bank fails; and (2) supervising financial institutions for safety and soundness. All data on this site is sourced from FDIC public regulatory filings.

A bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that charters, regulates, and supervises all national banks (identified by 'N.A.' or 'National' in their name) and federal savings associations. If a bank's charter type is 'National', the OCC is its primary regulator.

The central bank of the United States. It is the primary regulator of all Bank Holding Companies (BHCs) and Financial Holding Companies (FHCs), as well as state-chartered member banks. When you see a holding company on this site, it is ultimately supervised by the Fed.

The federal agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions. Credit unions are not banks — they are member-owned cooperatives. Data on this site covers FDIC-insured banks only and does not include credit unions.

The state-level regulatory body responsible for chartering and supervising state-chartered banks. Each state has its own — for example, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) or the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). State-chartered banks may also be members of the Federal Reserve System.

The actual operational entity that takes deposits, makes loans, and issues credit products like checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards. A 'charter' is the legal authorisation — granted by a federal or state government regulator — that allows the entity to function as a bank. The 4,255+ institutions in our Chartered Banks directory are all FDIC-insured chartered banks.

Not a formal legal designation, but a broadly used industry term for smaller chartered banks that primarily serve local markets (towns, counties, or regions). They typically have fewer than $10 billion in assets, are locally owned, and focus on relationship-based banking for consumers and small businesses. The Community Banks section of this site highlights these institutions.

A parent corporation that owns and controls one or more chartered banks. The BHC itself is not a bank — it doesn't take deposits or make loans directly. Its primary purpose is corporate and financial flexibility: BHCs can raise capital at the parent level, own non-banking subsidiaries (like insurance arms or securities firms), and acquire other banks more easily. Example: Bank of America Corporation is the BHC; Bank of America, N.A. is the chartered bank it owns. BHCs are regulated by the Federal Reserve.

A special type of BHC that has elected to engage in a broader range of financial activities — such as underwriting insurance, acting as a securities broker/dealer, or merchant banking. To become an FHC, the BHC and its subsidiary banks must be 'well-capitalised' and 'well-managed' by regulatory standards.

A suffix indicating the bank has a national charter issued by the OCC. Example: 'JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.' National banks are permitted to operate branches across all U.S. states without needing separate state licences.

A federally chartered savings institution (formerly called savings & loans or thrifts) that primarily focuses on mortgage lending. Regulated by the OCC. Identified by 'FSB' or 'Federal Savings Bank' in the name.

A unique, permanent numeric identifier assigned by the Federal Reserve to every entity it supervises — including banks, BHCs, and branches. It never changes and is the definitive way to track an institution across regulatory databases. We use RSSD IDs internally to link holding companies to their subsidiary banks.

A unique number assigned by the FDIC to each insured bank. Every FDIC-insured institution has exactly one Certificate Number. If a bank merges with another, the survivor retains its certificate number.

The legal classification of a bank's authorisation. Common types: (N) National Bank (OCC); (SM) State Member Bank (Federal Reserve); (NM) State Non-Member Bank (FDIC); (SB) Savings Bank; (OI) OTS-chartered institution (now OCC); (SA) Savings Association.

The date on which the bank was officially established or received its charter. Displayed in the bank's profile as its founding date. An older establishment date doesn't necessarily mean a safer bank, but longevity through multiple economic cycles is generally a positive indicator.

The sum of everything the bank owns or is owed — loans, investments, securities, cash, real estate, and other holdings. FDIC reports assets in thousands of dollars; this site converts them to Millions (M), Billions (B), or Trillions (T) for readability. For chartered banks with multiple branches, this is the total across all branches nationwide.

The total of all deposit accounts held by customers — checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs). Deposits are a bank's primary source of funds. A high Deposits-to-Assets ratio indicates strong customer trust. For chartered banks, this is the nationwide total.

The official regulatory rating system used by bank examiners (FDIC, OCC, Fed) to evaluate a bank's overall condition. Ratings range from 1 (best) to 5 (worst). CAMELS ratings are confidential and not publicly released. Our Health Score is an approximation of financial health using public data — it is not the same as a CAMELS rating.

Our Health Score is built from public FDIC Call Report data (ROA, ROE, Equity/Assets) and is designed to be transparent, comparable, and accessible to consumers. Official CAMELS ratings consider additional non-public data including on-site examiner findings, management quality, and IT risk. Always treat our score as a starting point — not a definitive safety guarantee.

Displayed when a bank does not report one or more of the required financial metrics to the FDIC. This is common for: (1) Foreign bank branches operating in the US (e.g., Bank of China, NY Branch), (2) certain government-affiliated banks, or (3) very newly chartered institutions with no full reporting period yet. The absence of a score does not indicate the bank is unsafe — it simply means the data is unavailable for our calculation.