Weiss Ratings of DC area banking institutions

Banks are starting to lend money to consumers and small businesses as fourth quarter 2011 show regional banks showing strong loan growth. In the DC market, 40 banks call the DC metro market home and many outside banks have a presence in one of the most lucrative markets in the country. The market search will uncover almost 1700 bank branches, and the decision to embark on a banking relationship is a monumental decision for a consumer or business owner. Several ways to discover information about a prospective financial institutional include stock and performance results via Zack's Investment Research, star ratings system with Safe and Sound  on BankRate.com, and financial strength on Weiss Ratings with access via TheStreet.com. In this analysis, the focus is on DC banking institutions financial strength via Weiss Ratings with A or Excellent ratings in the DC market.

Only two banking institutions in the DC metro marketplace did score an A or Excellent according to Weiss. The banking institutions have headquarters in the Washington, DC metro including areas of Maryland and Northern Virginia.  The two banks to score A or Excellent for 2012 is National Capital Bank of Washington, DC and Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust of Alexandria, VA. Please read below the score for each bank and a brief synopsis of each institution.

National Capital Bank of Washington, DC : A

Weiss awards National Capital as one of the "30 strongest banks in America"

The scent of hops is long gone 122 years later, but the bank is still thriving, posting its best year
ever in 2010. One of relatively few true mom-and-pop banks in the area, National Capital isn’t
well known outside the Capitol Hill neighborhood where most of its customers are. Yet it has
been among the top five most profitable local banks, relative to its size, every year since 2006.

Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust of Alexandria, VA: A-

We’re a local bank with a proud, storied history of serving generations of individuals, families and businesses in the Northern Virginia area. In fact, we’re Virginia’s oldest bank—owned and operated by members of the Burke and Herbert families since 1852.

Our success over the last 159 years lies in our customer service, conservative approach to banking and ability to mix old-fashioned values with modern technology.