Community banking

Unable to outspend big banks on technology, Asian-American banks are marketing to different ethnic groups and immigrants, sponsoring events for youth and young professionals and emphasizing in-person service.

How can banks improve performance while dealing with low interest rates and high regulatory expenses? One effective strategy is to bulk up, as shown by our annual ranking of the top 200 banks with less than $2 billion of assets.

Working primarily with community banks, Promontory Local Credit will provide second-lien loans to small firms, potentially increasing their available credit by 50%.

The number of U.S. banks has fallen by 24% since the end of 2010, a result of mergers, failures and a dearth of de novo activity. Here are the 10 states with the biggest declines as a percentage of total banks headquartered in the state, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data.

These execs say they are finding ways to reduce fixed costs in areas such as branching and personnel, offer appealing tech, yet provide in-person services when customers have concerns.