Experts Says Wells Fargo & Austin Telco FCU Are Strongest Brands

The 2011 release of Bancography’s Brand Value Index, a quantitative ranking of the brand strength of all retail financial institutions in the US, finds Wells Fargo and Austin Telco FCU atop the list.

Among the largest U.S. institutions (assets $30B+), Wells Fargo reclaims the number one position for the first time since 2008, followed by U.S. Bank, M&T, Fifth Third and PNC. M&T and PNC ranked in the top five in previous years, but Fifth Third enters the top five for the first time in 2011.

Two institutions that previously ranked high on the list, Northern Trust and JPMorgan Chase, dropped out of the 2011 rankings, as their equity levels fell below Bancography’s minimum level for inclusion.

The BBVI rankings analyze US banks, thrifts and credit unions according to the profit premium their brands add to each institution’s underlying tangible value. This is the fourth consecutive year the BBVI study has been published by Bancography, a financial services consulting firm based in Birmingham, Alabama.

In calculating brand value, Bancography quantifies the proportion of each institution’s long-term value that is attributable to the intangible factors that constitute an institution’s brand — reputation, service quality, image and market awareness. The brand value index identifies institutions that produce financial results beyond what their capital base, market conditions and competitive environments would predict. The calculations reward institutions that display consistently strong earnings and a reasonable cost of funds.

Buoyed by a strong economy, the state of Texas leads all others throughout the study, with 12 Texas banks and nine credit unions ranked. Texas, the Midwest and the West place strongly in the rankings, with banks from those regions occupying 30 out of 40 positions. In contrast, the South and Mid-Atlantic regions are only minimally represented in the rankings, suggesting the troubled economy continues to affect brand strength. Institutions in those regions have suffered significant financial losses and greatly diminished balance growth rates.

Reflecting the strength and stability of the credit union sector, 19 of 2010’s top 25 large institutions retain their top-25 status in 2011. For the second year in a row Austin Telco FCU leads the largest credit unions (assets > $1 billion), followed by Landmark Credit Union and Local Government FCU.

The change — or lack thereof — in credit union rankings versus 2010 differs sharply from the commercial bank rankings, which saw widespread change from the prior year.

The tables below display the top ranking bank and credit union brands for 2011, with distinctions made between banks and credit unions of varying asset tiers. 2010 rankings are posted for comparison.

Institutions with negative average income over the past three years, or with insufficient equity, are not included in the rankings.

Megabanks ($30+ billion assets)

2011 Rank	Financial Institution	State	2010 Rank
1	Wells Fargo	CA	3
2	US Bank	MN	2
3	M&T	NY	7
4	Fifth Third	OH	6
5	PNC	PA	9
6	First Niagara	NY	97*
7	BB&T	NC	5
8	BofA	NC	12
9	Comerica	TX	8
10	Union	CA	10

* Moved up from $2B-$30B asset tier

Large Banks ($2 billion – $20 billion assets)

2011 Rank	Financial Institution	State	2010 Rank
1	FirstBank	CO	**
2	United	WV	n/a
3	Central Trust	MO	130*
4	Union Savings	OH	n/a
5	Westamerica	CA	4
6	Intrust	KS	1
7	BancFirst	OK	10
8	Commerce	MO	12
9	Amarillo National	TX	3
10	American State	TX	7
11	Firstmerit	OH	n/a
12	Frost	TX	9
13	First Financial	OH	15
14	Woodforest	TX	2
15	Bank of Oklahoma	OK	n/a
16	Pinnacle	NE	13
17	City National	WV	16
18	Texas Capital	TX	25
19	First United	OK	6
20	First Citizens	NC	11

** Did not exist before 2010 (result of 10 merged banks)
* Moved up from $500M-$2B asset tier
n/a = Did not meet equity to asset ratio requirement

Medium-Sized Banks ($500 million – $2 billion assets)

2011 Rank	Financial Institution	State	2010 Rank
1	Sabine State	LA	n/a
2	First National	TX	1
3	Central Bank	MO	14*
4	Citizens Security	OK	4
5	Western National	TX	8
6	First State	TX	25
7	Bank of the West	TX	5
8	Community Bank	TX	30*
9	American Bank	TX	10
10	Guardian Savings	OH	24
11	Hilltop National	WY	97*
12	Cambridge Trust	MA	20
13	Jefferson Bank	TX	12
14	First American	NM	22
15	First National	TX	177*
16	Seaway B&T	IL	926*
17	First State Bank	IL	584*
18	Boone County National	MO	18
19	Union Bank	VT	352*
20	Central National	TX	29

* Moved up from < $500M asset tier
n/a = did not meet equity to asset ratio requirement

Small Banks ($500+ million assets)

2011 Rank	Financial Institution	State	2010 Rank
1	First American	OK	15
2	First State SD	TX	48
3	Valley	NM	6
4	Citizens State	KS	267
5	Charter	TX	13
6	Granite Falls Bank	MN	104
7	Farmers & Merchants	OK	69
8	Bank of Burlington	CO	131
9	Southwest Bank	TX	238
10	Oklahoma State Bank	OK	7
11	East Texas National	TX	1
12	First National La Grange	IL	2
13	American State	ND	8
14	Community Bank Louisiana	LA	11
15	First National Trinity	TX	10
16	First Security State	TX	25
17	Community State Bank	OK	89
18	Bank of Baker	MT	12
19	Farmers Bank & Trust	KS	33
20	First State Bank	TX	73

Large Credit Unions ($1+ billion assets)

2011 Rank	Financial Institution	State	2010 Rank
1	Austin Telco	TX	1
2	Landmark	WI	10
3	Local Government	NC	5
4	JSC	TX	7
5	University of Wisconsin	WI	8
6	American Heritage	PA	33*
7	Lake Michigan	MI	13
8	State Employees	NC	9
9	Navy Army	TX	2*
10	HawaiiUSA	HI	18
11	EECU	TX	3
12	Caltech Employees	CA	106*
13	Empower	NY	161*
14	Tinker	OK	21
15	Educational Employees	CA	17
16	State Employees	NY	22
17	Arizona State	AZ	63
18	Sandia Laboratory	NM	25
19	Municipal Employees	MD	15
20	Police & Fire	PA	11
21	San Diego County	CA	24
22	Security Service	TX	20
23	Educators	WI	23
24	Robins	GA	44
25	Ent	CO	28

* Moved up from < $1 billion asset tier

Smaller Credit Unions (less than $1 billion assets)

2011 Rank	Financial Institution	State	2010 Rank
1	Complex Community	TX	5
2	Freedom	PA	28
3	Gwinnett	GA	4
4	Actors	NY	14
5	White Sands	NM	6
6	Idaho Central	ID	12
7	Columbus Metro	OH	40
8	University First	UT	13
9	Southeastern	GA	15
10	Motorola Employees	IL	64
11	Alabama	AL	103
12	Americu	NY	10
13	SECNY	NY	123
14	University of Hawaii	HI	23
15	Denali Alaskan	AK	79
16	Atomic	OH	41
17	Cross Valley	PA	160
18	Self-Help	NC	452
19	1st Community	TX	241
20	North East Texas	TX	30
21	America’s	WA	9
22	Sea Comm	NY	24
23	University of Illinois	IL	35
24	GPO	NY	26
25	A+	TX	63

Strongest Brands in Banking? Bancography Says Wells Fargo & Austin Telco FCU

Megabanks ($30+ billion assets)

Large Banks ($2 billion – $20 billion assets)

Medium-Sized Banks ($500 million – $2 billion assets)

Small Banks ($500+ million assets)

Large Credit Unions ($1+ billion assets)

Smaller Credit Unions (less than $1 billion assets)

The Financial Brand
Forum 2025
April 14-16, 2025 | ARIA HOTEL & RESORT | LAS VEGAS

Megabanks ($30+ billion assets)

Large Banks ($2 billion – $20 billion assets)

Medium-Sized Banks ($500 million – $2 billion assets)

Small Banks ($500+ million assets)

Large Credit Unions ($1+ billion assets)

Smaller Credit Unions (less than $1 billion assets)

The Financial BrandForum 2025April 14-16, 2025 | ARIA HOTEL & RESORT | LAS VEGAS

The Financial Brand
Forum 2025
April 14-16, 2025 | ARIA HOTEL & RESORT | LAS VEGAS