Weiss Ratings: JP Morgan, Bank of America, US Bank, and Suntrust Still Among the Weakest Banks in the Nation

JUPITER, Florida (March 22, 2011) — JP Morgan, Bank of America, US Bank,  Suntrust Bank, Regions Bank and Capital One remain among the nation’s weakest financial institutions with assets of $1 billion and greater, according to the latest quarterly review by Weiss Ratings, the nation’s leading independent provider of bank, credit union and insurance company ratings.  In contrast, Northern Trust, International Bank of Commerce and Nationwide Bank are considered some of the strongest banks and thrifts.

Weiss Ratings covers 7,604 banks and thrifts, assigning a Financial Strength Rating from A+ to E- to each, based on capitalization, asset quality, profitability, liquidity, stability and other factors. Weiss Ratings found that 2,707, or 36%, of total banks and thrifts received a rating of D+ or lower, while just over a tenth, 11.7%, or 886, of financial institutions merited inclusion in Weiss Ratings’ Strongest List, requiring a Weiss Rating of B+ and higher.

Large banks and thrifts on Weiss Ratings’ Weakest List (with a Weiss Financial Strength Rating of D+ or lower) include:

In contrast, large banks and thrifts on the Strongest List (with a Weiss Financial Strength Rating of B+ or higher) include:

To view Weiss Ratings’ free list of the weakest and strongest banks and thrifts, consumers should visit www.weissratings.com/banklists.

About Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings, the nation’s leading independent provider of bank, credit union and insurance company financial strength ratings, accepts no payments for its ratings from rated institutions. It also distributes independent investment ratings on the shares of thousands of publicly traded companies, mutual funds, closed-end funds and ETFs.

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Note to Editors: State-specific lists of bank and thrift ratings are available upon request.