Weiss Ratings News Briefs


Bank of Utica and First Bank of Boaz earn Weiss top rating of A+

12/23/2011

Bank of Utica in Utica, New York was upgraded to A+ ("Excellent"), Weiss' top rating, from A on December 12 based on September 30 financial results. The institution has had consistently strong financial results since 2009. It reported a profit of $9.7 million for the nine months ending September 30 with a return on assets of 1.45%, far better than the industry average of 0.94%. It had an above-industry-average Tier 1 capital ratio (9.2%) of 12.6%.

First Bank of Boaz in Boaz, Alabama was also upgraded to A+ ("Excellent"), Weiss' top rating, from A on December 12 based on September 30 financial results. The institution has been identified as "Excellent" since 1994. It reported a profit of more than $2.4 million for the nine months ending September 30 with a return on assets of 1.81%, almost double the industry average of 0.94%. Home mortgages account for just over 8.4% of their total asset portfolio with commercial and consumer loans accounting for another 3.2% and 3.5%, respectively. Additionally, the institution had an above-industry-average risk-based capital ratio (15.6%) of 29.2%.