10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014

I was traveling for much of this week and was able to connect with and see a lot of interesting people. While attending a ‘CEO Summit’ in New York City, I was able to connect with other CEOs, Venture Capitalists (VCs) and private equity types, as well as industry professionals like bankers, lawyers and accountants who can bring great perspective from both sides of the table. It was a great bunch of people doing interesting things, which creates a life sized, social Petri dish. It is always fascinating in those environments to see what grows, usually it’s relationships, the best kind of growth.

The event was a very well run, hosted in NYC’s vibrant Soho district and featured speakers of all types – first time entrepreneurs / CEOs, early and mid stage entrepreneurs who are on their 2nd, 3rd or 4th companies, entrepreneurs turned academics, data scientists, investors, successful entrepreneurs and even a few grizzled, successful entrepreneurs who had, at times, been unsuccessful. One thing that resonated with me, and as you know me–I can’t help but look at everything through the lens of an “investor”–was how two, raw, human emotions dominated the discussions – fear and greed.

Top Stocks To Watch Right Now: Trico Bancshares (TCBK)

TriCo Bancshares (TriCo), incorporated on October 13, 1981, is a bank holding company that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Tri Counties Bank (the Bank). The Bank conducts a commercial banking business, including accepting demand, savings and time deposits, and making commercial, real estate and consumer loans. It also offers installment note collection, issues cashier's checks, sells travelers checks, and provides safe deposit boxes and other customary banking services. Brokerage services are provided at the Bank's offices by the Bank's association with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., an independent financial services provider and broker-dealer. The Bank does not offer trust services or international banking services. Tri Counties Bank, TriCo Capital Trust I and TriCo Capital Trust II are the subsidiaries of the Bank. On September 23, 2011, the Bank acquired Bank of Northern California.

The Company is engaged in the banking business through 68 offices in 23 counties in Northern and Central California including ten offices in Shasta County, nine in Butte County, seven in Sacramento and Nevada Counties, six in Placer County, four in Stanislaus County, three each in Siskiyou, Sutter and Kern Counties, two each in Glenn and Yolo Counties, and one each in Contra Costa, Del Norte, Fresno, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mendocino, Merced, Napa, Tehama, Tulare, and Yuba Counties. The Bank�� 76 automated teller machines (ATMs) are linked to several national and regional networks, such as CIRRUS and STAR. In addition, banking by telephone on a around-the-clock toll-free number is available to all customers. This service allows a customer to obtain account balances and most recent transactions, transfer moneys between accounts, make loan payments and obtain interest rate information. The Bank emphasizes on retail banking. Most of the Bank's customers are retail customers and small to medium-sized businesses. The Bank emphasizes serving the needs of local businesses, farmers and ranche! rs, retired individuals and wage earners.

Lending activities

The Bank conducts a commercial banking business, including accepting demand, savings and time deposits and making commercial, real estate, and consumer loans. It also offers installment note collection, issues cashier�� checks, sells travelers checks and provides safe deposit boxes and other customary banking services. Brokerage services are provided at the Bank�� offices by the Bank�� association with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., an independent financial services provider and broker-dealer. The Bank concentrates its lending activities in four principal areas: real estate mortgage loans (residential and commercial loans), consumer loans, commercial loans (including agricultural loans), and real estate construction loans. The majority of the Bank�� loans are direct loans made to individuals, farmers and local businesses.

As of December 31, 2011 loans, including net deferred loan costs, totaled $1,551,032,000. As of December 31, 2011, total Real estate mortgage loans net deferred loan costs, were $ 965,922,000; total consumer loans were $ 406,330,000; total commercial loans were $ 139,131,000, and real estate construction loans were $ 39,649.

Investment Activities

The Bank classifies its investments as available for sale (AFS). As of December 31, 2011, investments consisted of corporate debt and debt securities of the United States government. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank�� securities portfolio consisted of obligations of the United States Government corporations and agencies, obligations of states and political subdivisions, and corporate bonds.

Sources of Funds

Most of the Bank's deposits are attracted from individuals and business-related sources. The various types of deposits offered by the Bank include non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing demand deposits, savings deposits, time certificates of $100,000 and o! ver, and ! other time certificates. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank�� deposits totaled $ 2,190,536. The Bank participates in a deposit program offered by the State of California whereby the State may make deposits at the Bank�� request subject to collateral and creditworthiness constraints.

The Company had $8,527,000 of other collateralized borrowings as of December 31, 2011. The Company maintains a collateralized line of credit with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. Other collateralized borrowings are generally overnight maturity borrowings from non-financial institutions that are collateralized by securities owned by the Company. The Bank had available unused correspondent banking lines of credit from commercial banks totaling $5,000,000 for federal funds transactions as of December 31, 2011.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  California-based�TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ: TCBK  ) announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.11 per share, a 22% increase over the $0.09 per share payout it made last quarter.

10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: KS Bancorp Inc (KSBI)

KS Bancorp, Inc. serves as the holding company for KS Bank, Inc. (the Bank). The Bank is a community financial institution, which is locally owned and operated. The Bank offers a range of traditional deposit and loan products for consumers and businesses. The Bank offers a range of loans that include Personal Loans, Fixed Rate and Adjustable Rate Home Mortgage Loans, Consumer Loans, Reverse Mortgages, Home Construction Loans, Auto Loans, Boat Loans and Education Loans.

The Bank focuses on attracting retail deposits and using such deposits to make mortgage loans, construction loans, business loans, consumer loans and equity line loans. KS Bank conducts its operations through eight full service retail offices located in Johnston, Wake, Wilson, and Wayne counties in North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, KSBI remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.50 thus far (ref. google finance 9:49AM EDT July 23, 2013).

  KS Bancorp, Inc. previously reported unaudited net income available to common shareholders of $200,000, or $.15 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2013, compared to a net income available to common shareholders of $86,000, or $.07 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2012. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $325,000, or $.25 per diluted share, compared to $314,000, or $.24 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2012

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, KSBI previously surged (+6.67%) up +0.50 at $8.00 with 235 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance July 26, 2013 ��Close).

  KS Bancorp, Inc. previously reported unaudited net income available to common shareholders of $200,000, or $.15 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2013, compared to a net income available to common shareholders of $86,000, or $.07 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2012. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $325,000, or $.25 per diluted share, compared to $314,000, or $.24 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2012

10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: BV Financial Inc (BVFL)

BV Financial, Inc. (BV Financial), is a federally-chartered savings and loan holding company and the holding company for Bay-Vanguard Federal, a federally-chartered savings bank. BV Financial�� business activity is the ownership of the Bay-Vanguard Federal. The Company operates as a community-oriented financial institution offering traditional financial services to consumers and businesses in its market area. It attracts deposits from the general public and uses those funds to originate one- to four-family real estate, mobile home, construction, multi-family, commercial real estate, and consumer loans, which it hold for investment. The Company operates two branch offices in Baltimore City and two branch offices in Anne Arundel County. In June 2013, BV Financial Inc's Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank acquired Vigilant Federal Savings Bank.

Lending Activities

The Company�� loan portfolio consists primarily of one- to four-family residential real estate loans. Its loan portfolio includes mobile home loans, construction loans, multi-family, commercial real estate loans, and consumer loans. As of June 30, 2009, Bay-Vanguard Federal had no loans that were held for sale. Its primary lending activity is the origination of mortgage loans to enable borrowers to purchase or refinance existing homes in its market area. It only offer fixed and adjustable rate mortgage loans and primarily with terms of 15, 20 or 30 years. The Company also offers adjustable-rate mortgage loans with interest rates and payments that adjust annually or every three years.

The Company originates mobile home loans directly and purchase mobile home loans from Forward National and Mainland Financial, which specialize in mobile home lending. As of June 30, 2009, 13.6% of its mobile home portfolio was originated by directly and 70.4% and 16% was purchased from Forward National and Mainland Financial, respectively. As of June 30, 2009, it had 340 mobile home loans, the average size of which was appr! oximately $34,000. Its mobile home loans, which are made primarily to borrowers in Maryland and Pennsylvania, have terms of up to 25 years and fixed interest rates. It originates loans to individuals and, to a lesser extent, builders to finance the construction of residential dwellings. It also make construction loans for commercial development projects, including condominiums, apartment buildings, mixed-use properties with residential units, as well as retail space and owner-occupied properties used for business.

The Company offers fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans secured by multi-family and commercial real estate. Its multi-family and commercial real estate loans are secured by condominiums, apartment buildings and mixed-use properties with residential units, as well as retail space. It originates multi-family and commercial real estate loans for terms up to 25 years. The Company�� other consumer loans are primarily loans secured by passbook or certificate accounts, automobile and boat loans and secured personal loans.

Investment Activities

The Company has legal authority to invest in various types of liquid assets, including the United States Treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies and municipal governments, deposits at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and certificates of deposit of federally insured institutions. As of June 30, 2009, its investment portfolio totaled $13.8 million and consisted primarily of the United States Treasury obligations and federal agency securities, mortgage-backed securities issued primarily by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae, and a mutual fund that invests in adjustable-rate mortgages.

Deposit Activities and Other Sources of Funds

Deposits and loan repayments are the major sources of its funds for lending and other investment purposes. The Company�� deposits are attracted from within its market area through the offering of selection of deposit instruments,! includin! g checking accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) and money market accounts, passbook and savings accounts, and certificates of deposit. As of June 30, 2009, its core deposits, which consist of savings, NOW and money market accounts, consists 49% of its deposits.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, BVFL remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $6.52 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 3:05PM EDT September 4, 2013).

  BV Financial, Inc. previously reported net income of $488,000, or $0.20 per diluted share, for the year ended June 30, 2013 compared to $1,073,000, or $0.46 per diluted share, for the year ended June 30, 2012. Results for 2013 were impacted by the acquisition of Vigilant Federal Savings Bank on May 31, 2013. As a result of the acquisition, BV Financial acquired $47.5 million in assets, $44.4 million in liabilities and created $119,000 in goodwill.

10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Bank of Hawaii Corp (BOH)

Bank of Hawaii Corporation, incorporated on February 4, 1998, is a bank holding company. The Company�� operating subsidiary is Bank of Hawaii (the Bank). The Bank provides a range of financial services and products primarily to customers in Hawaii, Guam and other Pacific Islands. The Bank's subsidiaries include Bank of Hawaii Leasing, Inc., Bankoh Investment Services, Inc. and Pacific Century Life Insurance Corporation. The Bank's subsidiaries are engaged in equipment leasing, securities brokerage, investment services and providing credit insurance. It operates in four segments: Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Investment Services, and Treasury and Other. Its other subsidiary is the BOHC Investment Fund, LLC (the Fund). The Fund was organized to invest in and hold securities of Qualified High Technology Businesses.

Retail Banking

Retail Banking offers a range of financial products and services to consumers and small businesses. Loan and lease products include residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, automobile loans and leases and installment loans. Deposit products include checking, savings, and time deposit accounts. Retail Banking also offers retail insurance products. Products and services from Retail Banking are delivered to customers through 65 Hawaii branch locations, 494 automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, e-Bankoh (on-line banking service), around-the-clock customer service center, and a mobile banking service.

Commercial Banking

Commercial Banking offers products, including corporate banking, commercial real estate loans, commercial lease financing, auto dealer financing, and deposit products. Commercial lending and deposit products are offered to middle-market and large companies in Hawaii. Commercial real estate mortgages focus on customers that include investors, developers, and builders predominantly domiciled in Hawaii. Commercial Banking also includes international banking a! nd operations at the Bank's 11 branches in the Pacific Islands and also provides merchant services to its small business customers.

Investment Services

Investment Services includes private banking, trust services, investment management, and institutional investment advisory services. The private banking and personal trust group assists individuals and families in building and preserving their wealth by providing investment, credit, and trust services to high-net-worth individuals. The investment management group manages portfolios utilizing a variety of investment products. Institutional client services offer investment advice to corporations, government entities and foundations. Investment Services also provides a full service brokerage offering equities, mutual funds, life insurance, and annuity products.

Treasury and Other

Treasury consists of corporate asset and liability management activities, including interest rate risk management and a foreign exchange business. This segment's assets consist of interest-bearing deposits, investment securities, federal funds sold and purchased, government deposits, and short and long-term borrowings. The primary sources of noninterest income are from bank-owned life insurance, net gains from the sale of investment securities, and foreign exchange income related to customer driven currency requests from merchants and island visitors.

Investment Securities

The Bank�� investment securities portfolio includes debt securities issued by the United States Treasury and Government Agencies, debt securities issued by states and political sub-divisions, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage-backed securities issued by government agencies and the United States Government-Sponsored Enterprises. As of December 31, 2012, its available-for-sale investment securities portfolio consisted of securities with an average base duration of less than three years.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  Percentages aside, the benefit of the relative health of these housing markets can be seen in the performance of smaller, regional banks like Bank of Hawaii (NYSE: BOH  ) , BB&T (NYSE: BBT  ) , and TD Bank (NYSE: TD  ) which have large presences in Hawaii, West Virginia, and Maine, respectively. Shares of all of these banks have more than recovered since the financial crisis as a testament to this.

10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB)

Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB), incorporated on January 19, 1984, is a bank holding company. The Company has one wholly owned operating subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust (the Bank), which offers a range of deposit, loan, and related banking products, as well as brokerage services provided, through a third-party brokerage arrangement. In addition, the Company offers trust and investment management services, through its subsidiary, Bar Harbor Trust Services (Trust Services), a trust company. These products and services are offered to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities. In August 2012, the Company announced that its principal subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, acquired Border Trust Company (Border Trust), a subsidiary of Border Bancshares, Inc.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust

The Bank has 12 branch offices located throughout downeast and midcoast Maine, including its principal office in Bar Harbor. The Bank�� offices are located in Hancock, Washington and Knox Counties, representing the Bank�� principal market areas. The Hancock County offices, in addition to Bar Harbor, are located in Blue Hill, Deer Isle, Ellsworth, Northeast Harbor, Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Winter Harbor. The Washington County offices are located in Milbridge, Machias, and Lubec. The Knox County office is located in Rockland. The Bank delivers its operations and technology support services from its operations center located in Ellsworth, Maine.

The Bank is a retail bank serving individual and business customers, retail establishments and restaurants, seasonal lodging, biological research laboratories, and a contingent of retirees. As a coastal bank, it serves the tourism, hospitality, lobstering, fishing, boat building and marine services industries. It also serves Maine�� wild blueberry industry through its Hancock and Washington County offices. The Bank operates in a market that includes other community banks, savings institutions, credit unions, a! nd branch offices of statewide and interstate bank holding companies located in the Bank�� market area.

The Bank offers a variety of consumer financial products and services. The Bank�� retail deposit products and services include checking accounts, interest bearing negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, club accounts, short-term and long-term certificates of deposit, health savings accounts and individual retirement accounts. Credit products and services include home mortgages, residential construction loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, credit cards, installment loans, and overdraft protection services. The Bank provides secured and unsecured installment loans for new or used automobiles, boats, recreational vehicles, mobile homes and other personal needs. The Bank also offers other customary products and services, such as safe deposit box rentals, wire transfers, check collection services, foreign currency exchange, money orders, and United States Savings Bonds redemptions.

The Bank retains Infinex Investments, Inc., (Infinex) as a third-party broker-dealer, conducting business business name Bar Harbor Financial Services. Bar Harbor Financial Services is a branch office of Infinex, an independent registered broker-dealer offering securities and insurance products that is not affiliated with the Company or its subsidiaries. Bar Harbor Financial Services principally serves the brokerage needs of individuals, including first-time purchasers and investors. It also offers a line of life insurance, annuity, and retirement products, as well as financial planning services. The Bank offers Internet banking services, including free check images and electronic bill payment, through its Website at www.BHBT.com. Additionally, the Bank offers TeleDirect, an interactive voice response system, through which customers can check account balances and activity, as well as initiate money transfers between their accounts. Automated te! ller mach! ines (ATMs) are located at each of the Bank�� 12 branch locations, as well as two machines in non-Bank locations. The Bank is also a member of Maine Cash Access, providing customers with surcharge-free access to 217 ATMs throughout the state of Maine. Visa debit cards are also offered, providing customers with free access to their deposit account balances at point of sale locations worldwide.

The Bank serves the small business market throughout downeast and midcoast Maine. It offers business loans to individuals, partnerships, corporations, and other business entities for capital construction, real estate and equipment financing, working capital, real estate development, and a range of other business purposes. Business loans are provided primarily to organizations and sole proprietors in the tourism, hospitality, healthcare, blueberry, boatbuilding, and fishing industries, as well as to other small and mid-size businesses associated with coastal communities.

The Bank offers a variety of commercial deposit accounts, including business checking and tiered money market accounts. These accounts are typically used as operating accounts or short-term savings vehicles. The Bank�� cash management services provide business customers with short-term investment opportunities through a cash management sweep program, whereby excess operating funds over established thresholds are swept into overnight securities sold under agreements to repurchase. The Bank also offers Business On Line Direct (BOLD), an Internet banking service for businesses. This service allows business clients to view their account histories, print statements, view check images, order stop payments, transfer funds between accounts, transmit automated clearing house (ACH) files, and order both domestic and foreign wire transfers. The Bank also offers remote deposit capture, enabling its business customers to deposit checks remotely. Other commercial banking services include merchant credit card processing provided throu! gh a thir! d party vendor, night depository, and coin and currency handling.

Bar Harbor Trust Services

Trust Services provides a range of trust and investment management services to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and municipalities. Trust Services serves as trustee of both living trusts and trusts under wills, including revocable and irrevocable, charitable remainder and testamentary trusts, and in this capacity holds, accounts for and manages financial assets, real estate and special assets. Trust Services offers custody, estate settlement, and fiduciary tax services. Additionally, Trust Services offers employee benefit trust services, for which it acts as trustee, custodian, administrator and/or investment advisor, for employee benefit plans and for corporate, self employed, municipal and not-for-profit employers located throughout the Company�� market areas. As of December 31, 2011, Trust Services served 758 client accounts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Bar Harbor, Maine based bank holding company Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) raised its quarterly dividend 1.6% to 32 cents per share, payable on Dec. 13 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 15. The increase marks the 10th consecutive quarter of dividend increases.
  BHB Dividend Yield:�3.39%

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Bar Harbor, Maine-based bank holding company Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) raised its quarterly dividend 1.6% to 32.5 cents per share, payable on Mar. 14 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 15.
  BHB Dividend Yield: 3.37%

10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Strategem Capital Corp (SGE)

Strategem Capital Corporation (Strategem) is a Canada-based company. It is a publicly-traded merchant bank involved in acquiring interests in and developing companies. The Company takes early debt and/or equity positions in such emerging growth companies. As of December 31, 2009, the Company is focused on companies that explore or develop precious or base metals. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA) slumped 9.3 percent after Germany�� largest steelmaker raised 882.3 million euros ($1.21 billion) through a share sale. Standard Chartered Plc lost 8.1 percent. Sage Group (SGE) Plc, the U.K.�� biggest software maker, rose 6.8 percent after reporting revenue growth that exceeded analysts��estimates. AZ Electronic Materials SA surged 43 percent after Merck KGaA (MRK) agreed to buy it for about 1.6 billion pounds ($2.6 billion).

10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: State Bank of India (SBIN)

State Bank of India (SBI) is an India-based commercial bank. Its primary banks include Treasury, Corporate / Wholesale Banking, Retail Banking and Other Banking business. The Treasury Segment includes the entire investment portfolio and trading in foreign exchange contracts and derivative contracts. The Corporate / Wholesale Banking segment comprises the lending activities of Corporate Accounts Group, Mid Corporate Accounts Group and Stressed Assets Management Group. These include providing loans and transaction services to corporate and institutional clients and further include non-treasury operations of foreign offices. The Retail Banking Segment consists of branches in National Banking Group, which primarily includes Personal Banking activities, including lending activities to corporate customers having banking relations with branches in the National Banking Group. This segment also includes agency business and automated teller machines (ATMs). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Calev Ben-David]

  Credit-default swaps for the State Bank of India (SBIN), a proxy for the sovereign, have risen by almost two thirds since May 22, while the rupee slid about 10 percent. In Turkey, swaps jumped by about half, and the currency dropped about 6 percent.

• [By Lyubov Pronina]

  India�� S&P BSE Sensex Index dropped 4 percent in Mumbai as State Bank of India (SBIN) tumbled to the lowest level in four years. ICICI Bank Ltd. slumped 5.2 percent. The rupee touched an unprecedented 62.0050 per dollar today before closing 0.3 percent weaker from Aug. 14 at 61.6550 in Mumbai, according to prices from local banks compiled by Bloomberg.