Which community banks are growing loans the fastest right now? Using the latest full-year local U.S. Call Report date in our Banking Intelligence database, December 31, 2025, and comparing it with December 31, 2024, we ranked active U.S. banks under $10 billion in assets by year-over-year loan-book growth.
The headline result is straightforward: the winners are not just lending harder. They are generally pairing faster balance-sheet expansion with stronger deposit growth, decent profitability, and loan mixes tilted more toward commercial and specialty categories than the broader community-bank universe. That does not mean every fast grower is equally conservative, but it does mean the top of the table is more than a random list of one-quarter spikes.
For this article, “community bank” is a size-based screen, not a formal legal label. That matters. A few specialty, private-bank, and foreign-owned U.S. institutions still qualify because they are active U.S. banks and fall under the asset cap. The point of the ranking is comparability: who expanded the fastest on the same Call Report basis over the same 12-month period.
Key Takeaways
- The eligible universe contained 315 active U.S. banks with under $10 billion in assets as of 2025-12-31 and at least $100 million in loans one year earlier.
- The top 50 posted average year-over-year loan growth of 24.0%, versus 6.3% for the full eligible universe.
- The top 50 also posted average deposit growth of 20.1%, versus 5.8% for the full universe, and 48 of the 50 banks still had positive deposit growth.
- The fastest growers skewed more toward commercial and specialty lending: weighted C&I exposure was 18.0% of loans for the top 50 versus 16.3% for the full universe, while credit-card exposure was 4.7% versus 1.6%.
- They were somewhat less concentrated in traditional 1-4 family residential lending and nonfarm nonresidential CRE than the broader community-bank pool.
- Fast growth did not automatically mean poor performance: 33 of the top 50 generated ROA of at least 1.00%, and 34 of the 50 ran efficiency ratios below 60%.
- Credit quality was still a watch item. The top 50 median NPL ratio was 0.75%, modestly above the 0.59% median for the broader eligible universe.
- Liquidity discipline matters. Eleven of the top 50 were already above 100% loans-to-deposits at 2025 year-end.
What The Fastest Growers Are Doing Differently
1. They are funding growth, not just chasing it
The cleanest pattern in the data is that loan growth usually traveled with deposit growth. The top 50 averaged 20.1% deposit growth, and only two banks on the list posted negative deposit growth over the same period. In other words, most of the fastest growers were not simply stretching funding; they were expanding both sides of the balance sheet.
That is important because rapid loan growth without funding support tends to show up later in higher wholesale dependence, tighter liquidity, or loans-to-deposits that move too far too fast. Some names on the list are already operating with elevated loan-to-deposit ratios, but as a group the story is more balanced than the headline growth rates suggest.
2. They lean more heavily into commercial and specialty lending
Compared with the broader eligible universe, the top 50 had a more commercial and specialty-heavy mix at 2025 year-end. Weighted C&I exposure was 18.0% of loans for the top 50, versus 16.3% for the full universe. Credit-card exposure was 4.7% versus 1.6%.
By contrast, the fast-growth cohort carried lower weighted exposure to 1-4 family residential loans and somewhat lower exposure to nonfarm nonresidential CRE. That does not mean CRE disappeared from the playbook. It means the fastest-growing lenders were less dependent on slower-moving, plain-vanilla residential production and more willing to win business in commercial, specialty-finance, or niche lending channels.
3. Operational execution still separates durable growers from loose growers
Fast growth only matters if the economics hold. On that front, the top 50 looked better than many observers might expect. Their average ROA was 1.37%, slightly above the 1.20% average for the full eligible universe. A majority also kept efficiency ratios below 60%, which suggests plenty of the fastest growers were not buying volume at any cost.
That said, the group is not uniformly pristine. A few specialty lenders posted materially higher NPL ratios, and the cohort-wide median NPL ratio was a bit higher than the broader peer set. The practical takeaway is simple: growth screens work best when they sit next to profitability, asset-quality, and funding screens, not when they replace them.
4. The list is broad, but not random
The top 50 were spread across multiple markets, with Illinois, Utah, and New York especially well represented. Several banks near the top combined strong loan growth with still-reasonable credit metrics, including ChoiceOne Bank, Macatawa Bank, German American Bank, CNB Bank, and Metro City Bank. Others grew just as fast but with clearly higher underwriting or liquidity intensity, which is exactly why a pure ranking should always be followed by deeper peer work.
The Ranking: Top 50 Community Banks by Year-Over-Year Loan Growth
The table below ranks eligible banks by year-over-year growth in their reported loan book from 2024-12-31 to 2025-12-31.
| Rank | Bank | State | Assets 12/31/25 | Loans 12/31/24 | Loans 12/31/25 | YoY Loan Growth | YoY Deposit Growth | ROA | NPL Ratio | Loan/Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChoiceOne Bank | MI | $4.41B | $1.54B | $2.99B | 94.9% | 60.0% | 0.79% | 0.90% | 83.1% |
| 2 | Macatawa Bank, National Association | MI | $3.66B | $1.65B | $2.69B | 63.2% | 11.8% | 1.39% | 0.14% | 87.8% |
| 3 | Merrick Bank | UT | $9.25B | $4.96B | $7.55B | 52.2% | 35.5% | 1.16% | 4.64% | 104.1% |
| 4 | Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, Ltd. | CA | $8.66B | $1.91B | $2.78B | 45.9% | 48.4% | 0.00% | 1.59% | 68.7% |
| 5 | German American Bank | IN | $8.38B | $4.09B | $5.81B | 42.0% | 29.9% | 1.46% | 0.51% | 82.4% |
| 6 | CNB Bank | PA | $8.37B | $4.55B | $6.42B | 41.0% | 30.3% | 1.04% | 0.61% | 90.0% |
| 7 | Celtic Bank | UT | $4.79B | $2.82B | $3.93B | 39.6% | 25.5% | 4.12% | 2.81% | 114.3% |
| 8 | Needham Bank | MA | $6.93B | $4.29B | $5.97B | 38.9% | 40.1% | 0.90% | 0.73% | 101.8% |
| 9 | Northpointe Bank | MI | $7.02B | $4.63B | $6.32B | 36.4% | 42.6% | 1.39% | 1.44% | 129.3% |
| 10 | Old Second National Bank | IL | $6.90B | $3.94B | $5.18B | 31.6% | 16.8% | 1.46% | 1.02% | 91.6% |
| 11 | Colony Bank | GA | $3.72B | $1.86B | $2.44B | 30.8% | 19.3% | 0.92% | 0.96% | 78.7% |
| 12 | Forbright Bank | MD | $7.92B | $4.28B | $5.60B | 30.7% | 20.7% | 1.35% | 1.32% | 82.3% |
| 13 | Metro City Bank | GA | $4.71B | $3.14B | $4.04B | 28.4% | 33.0% | 1.80% | 0.65% | 109.9% |
| 14 | State Bank of India | IL | $4.78B | $3.47B | $4.36B | 25.5% | 11.6% | 0.00% | — | 134.3% |
| 15 | Stride Bank, National Association | OK | $4.86B | $3.32B | $4.12B | 24.0% | 24.0% | 2.10% | 0.77% | 92.2% |
| 16 | Citizens & Northern Bank | PA | $3.12B | $1.88B | $2.32B | 23.8% | 22.4% | 0.92% | 1.42% | 89.9% |
| 17 | Cornerstone Capital Bank, SSB | TX | $2.47B | $1.39B | $1.72B | 23.2% | -5.2% | 0.69% | 4.72% | 131.0% |
| 18 | Northeast Bank | ME | $4.95B | $3.58B | $4.37B | 22.1% | 21.5% | 2.01% | 0.81% | 113.3% |
| 19 | SouthEast Bank | TN | $3.48B | $2.46B | $3.00B | 22.0% | 17.9% | 0.68% | 3.45% | 95.7% |
| 20 | InterBank | OK | $5.45B | $3.87B | $4.69B | 21.2% | 21.7% | 3.60% | 0.56% | 97.4% |
| 21 | Banco do Brasil Americas | FL | $3.21B | $1.62B | $1.96B | 21.2% | 12.5% | 1.63% | 0.77% | 69.1% |
| 22 | The Camden National Bank | ME | $6.97B | $4.09B | $4.93B | 20.6% | 19.4% | 1.03% | 0.14% | 88.5% |
| 23 | Equity Bank | KS | $6.33B | $3.46B | $4.15B | 19.9% | 15.6% | 0.55% | 1.04% | 80.0% |
| 24 | BankFirst Financial Services | MS | $3.26B | $1.83B | $2.18B | 18.9% | 18.9% | 1.04% | 0.68% | 77.6% |
| 25 | Principal Bank | IA | $9.33B | $2.40B | $2.85B | 18.4% | 5.4% | 1.24% | 0.47% | 32.4% |
| 26 | SMBC MANUBANK | CA | $7.68B | $3.91B | $4.61B | 18.0% | 30.0% | -2.43% | 0.40% | 70.2% |
| 27 | Bravera Bank | ND | $3.83B | $2.30B | $2.71B | 18.0% | 11.4% | 1.12% | 0.92% | 80.7% |
| 28 | Bradesco Bank | FL | $5.47B | $3.67B | $4.32B | 17.8% | -2.4% | 0.94% | 0.21% | 94.0% |
| 29 | Sunwest Bank | UT | $4.09B | $2.79B | $3.28B | 17.4% | 11.7% | 1.93% | 0.58% | 103.2% |
| 30 | Banesco USA | FL | $5.48B | $3.28B | $3.84B | 17.1% | 26.6% | 1.13% | 0.56% | 83.7% |
| 31 | Wheaton Bank & Trust, National Association | IL | $4.48B | $2.61B | $3.04B | 16.4% | 23.8% | 1.46% | 0.47% | 79.2% |
| 32 | Bessemer Trust Company, National Association | NY | $6.42B | $0.80B | $0.93B | 16.1% | 88.7% | 2.96% | — | 16.9% |
| 33 | Five Star Bank | CA | $4.75B | $3.50B | $4.03B | 15.2% | 18.0% | 1.52% | 0.08% | 95.7% |
| 34 | Texas Regional Bank | TX | $2.94B | $1.45B | $1.67B | 15.1% | 6.5% | 0.54% | 0.16% | 64.1% |
| 35 | St. Charles Bank & Trust Company, National Association | IL | $3.45B | $2.27B | $2.61B | 15.0% | 20.4% | 1.41% | 0.72% | 89.3% |
| 36 | Vantage Bank Texas | TX | $4.94B | $3.26B | $3.75B | 14.8% | 7.9% | 1.53% | 0.77% | 84.1% |
| 37 | Bar Harbor Bank & Trust | ME | $4.68B | $3.12B | $3.58B | 14.7% | 17.1% | 1.03% | 0.32% | 93.3% |
| 38 | The Bancorp Bank, National Association | SD | $9.35B | $6.29B | $7.19B | 14.3% | 5.4% | 2.81% | 1.32% | 87.9% |
| 39 | Habib American Bank | NY | $2.74B | $1.60B | $1.83B | 14.3% | 13.0% | 0.82% | 1.14% | 77.9% |
| 40 | Liberty Bank | CT | $8.98B | $6.05B | $6.90B | 14.0% | 6.7% | 0.99% | 0.41% | 99.3% |
| 41 | First Dakota National Bank | SD | $3.24B | $2.39B | $2.72B | 13.6% | 8.2% | 1.38% | 0.37% | 95.5% |
| 42 | Peapack Private Bank & Trust | NJ | $7.52B | $5.45B | $6.19B | 13.6% | 7.4% | 0.57% | 1.10% | 93.7% |
| 43 | Ponce Bank, National Association | NY | $3.21B | $2.30B | $2.60B | 13.3% | 8.0% | 1.01% | 1.03% | 126.2% |
| 44 | Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust Company | IA | $2.87B | $1.74B | $1.96B | 13.0% | 5.4% | 2.83% | 0.54% | 98.9% |
| 45 | WEX Bank | UT | $8.45B | $2.63B | $2.96B | 12.6% | 17.9% | 4.62% | 0.77% | 47.2% |
| 46 | Unity Bank | NJ | $2.96B | $2.23B | $2.51B | 12.5% | 10.7% | 1.88% | 1.19% | 108.1% |
| 47 | Metropolitan Commercial Bank | NY | $8.25B | $5.97B | $6.71B | 12.4% | 23.6% | 0.97% | 1.29% | 90.3% |
| 48 | Libertyville Bank & Trust Company, National Association | IL | $3.14B | $2.12B | $2.38B | 12.2% | 17.0% | 1.65% | 0.50% | 89.7% |
| 49 | Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company, National Association | IL | $6.12B | $4.04B | $4.52B | 11.8% | 12.0% | 1.53% | 0.15% | 92.6% |
| 50 | SmartBank | TN | $5.85B | $3.87B | $4.33B | 11.8% | 10.1% | 1.00% | 0.22% | 83.9% |
Methodology
This ranking was built from the local Banking Intelligence database using U.S. Call Report data for 2025-12-31 and 2024-12-31. To create a defensible “community bank” universe, we screened for active U.S. institutions with FDIC-sourced records, U.S. country codes, charter classes of STATE or OCC, and total assets below $10 billion as of 2025-12-31.
We also required a minimum starting loan book of $100 million at 2024-12-31 to remove very small-bank distortions. Banks needed comparable loan data for both dates. We ranked the final universe by year-over-year percentage growth in the reported loan book, with absolute loan growth used as a tie-breaker where needed.
For this article, “loan book” refers to the total loans-and-leases balance in the local financial dataset. All underlying balance-sheet values are stored in thousands of dollars and presented here in billions for readability. Because this is a size-based community-bank proxy rather than a formal regulatory designation, the list includes some specialty, private-bank, and foreign-owned U.S. institutions that still met the screen.
Why This Ranking Matters
Loan growth is one of the cleanest signals of who is taking share, who has lending demand, and who has the funding capacity to support it. But the ranking is most useful when it becomes a starting point rather than a finish line. The banks at the top are not all telling the same story. Some look like broad-based relationship lenders with healthy profitability and moderate credit risk. Others look more specialized, more balance-sheet efficient, or more aggressive on funding and asset mix.
That is exactly where a platform like Banking Intelligence becomes commercially useful. You can recreate this screen in the Banks explorer, save a benchmark cohort in Peer Groups, pull the results into a file through Export, and turn the winners into a working coverage list in Prospects. If you want to validate field coverage or schedule depth before building a custom screen, the Data page shows what is available.
The fastest-growing community-bank loan books in the 2025 Call Report cycle were not winning on one factor alone. The strongest pattern was balance-sheet coordination: fast loan growth paired with solid deposit inflows, respectable profitability, and a portfolio mix that tilted more toward commercial and specialty lending than the broader under-$10 billion bank universe.
That makes the ranking useful for investors, bankers, fintech vendors, consultants, and anyone trying to understand where lending momentum is actually showing up in the community-bank market. Growth is only attractive when it is fundable and repeatable. The banks above are the right place to start that investigation.
FAQ
What counts as a community bank in this ranking?
For this screen, a community bank is an active U.S. bank with FDIC-sourced data, a U.S. charter, and less than $10 billion in assets at 2025-12-31. That is a practical size-based definition, not a formal regulatory label.
Why compare 2025-12-31 with 2024-12-31?
Those two year-end dates give the cleanest full-year comparison in the local Banking Intelligence U.S. Call Report dataset. Using matching year-end periods reduces seasonality issues and makes year-over-year loan-book growth easier to interpret.
Why impose a $100 million minimum starting loan book?
Without a minimum threshold, tiny institutions can jump to the top of a percentage-growth ranking on small absolute changes. Requiring at least $100 million in loans at 2024-12-31 keeps the list focused on banks with meaningful starting scale.
Does rapid loan growth automatically mean a better bank?
No. Growth has to be evaluated alongside funding, profitability, credit quality, and liquidity. That is why the table includes deposit growth, ROA, NPL ratio, and loan-to-deposit data next to loan growth.
How can I build a custom version of this ranking?
Use Banking Intelligence to screen banks by asset size, geography, profitability, or credit metrics, then save the output as a peer set or export it for deeper work. The workflow is straightforward: screen in the Banks view, save in Peer Groups, export with Export, and operationalize with Prospects.