Three banks earn national kudos

Three banks on the west coast of Florida were named to S&P Global Market Intelligence's 2016 ranking of the 100 best-performing community banks with under $1 billion in assets.

The banks are Seminole-based First Home Bank, ranked No. 5; Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, ranked No. 19; and St. Petersburg-based Freedom Bank, ranked No. 76.

S&P Global Market Intelligence used six metrics to calculate the ranking: pretax return on average tangible common equity; net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans; efficiency ratio; adjusted Texas ratio; net interest margin; and loan growth. Eligibility required a loan-to-asset ratio of at least 33%, with no more than half of those loans from credit cards, according to a statement. Companies also had to be well-capitalized according to current regulatory standards, and no more than half the institution's revenue could come from nontraditional banking activities.

“Sanibel Captiva Community Bank's ranking attests to our exponential growth and strength in the community we serve,” says Sanibel Captiva Community Bank President and CEO Craig Albert in the release from the bank.