CONTACT:
Thomas J. Wilkinson
Chairman and CEO
(608) 203-1201
twilkinson@wisconsinbankandtrust.com
Madison, WI — Wisconsin Bank & Trust, through its parent company, Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF), has been named a “Forbes Best Bank 2013.”
In its annual review of the largest publicly traded banks and thrifts, Forbes ranked Heartland 39th among a nationwide group of 100 leading banking organizations with assets ranging from $4.5 billion to over $2 trillion.
“We are proud to be named among the best banks in America for 2013,” said Tom Wilkinson, Chairman and CEO of Wisconsin Bank & Trust. “As community banks, what sets us apart is our strong commitment to our customers, combined with access to ‘big-bank’ products and services as part of Heartland. The Forbes ranking underscores the benefits of our unique structure—the strength and capabilities of a big bank, combined with the personal touch and local decision-making of a community bank.”
To compile the rankings, Forbes used data collected by SNL Financial through the third quarter of 2012 on the country’s largest publicly traded banks and thrifts. The data covered eight metrics of financial health: return on average equity; net interest margin; nonperforming loans (NPLs) as a percentage of loans; nonperforming assets as percentage of assets; reserves as a percentage of NPLs; two capital ratios (Tier 1 and risk-based); and leverage ratio. Forbes generated its ranking based on an average of the individual ranks of each metric.
“We attribute our strong performance to our loyal and satisfied customers, our disciplined financial management and our employees,” said Wilkinson.
In 2012, Heartland net income increased by 76 percent over 2011, with earnings per share growing by 122 percent. That strong shared success provides Wisconsin Bank & Trust with an outstanding platform for continued growth.
About Wisconsin Bank & Trust
Wisconsin Bank & Trust (WB&T), formerly Wisconsin Community Bank and Heartland Business Bank, a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc., (NASDAQ: HTLF), is a state chartered bank with more than $670 million in assets and serving customers in the Madison, Monroe, Green Bay, Sheboygan and southwest areas of Wisconsin. The bank operates ten branch offices, all located in Wisconsin. The bank specializes in business lending and deposit services, and provides a wide variety of personal credit and deposit services along with complete electronic banking programs. Learn more at http://www.wisconsinbankandtrust.com or call (877) 280-1855. Wisconsin Bank & Trust is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and an Equal Housing Lender.
