American Banker once again named Stearns Bank the top performing bank in the nation among banks with $2 to $10 billion in assets. The ranking is based on a three-year average return on equity. Stearns Bank earned the top spot in 2017, as well.

The bank rankings were released in the June 2018 issue of American Banker. In that issue, the publication also discussed the ongoing challenges banks are facing when it comes to keeping brick and mortar branches open. It noted that many of the top-performing banks, such as Stearns Bank, are finding new ways to balance cost control with attracting new deposits.

“At Stearns Bank, we are meeting those challenges head on,” said Stearns Bank President Kelly Skalicky. “With each new challenge, we find tremendous opportunity to grow and diversify our SBA loans and equipment financing through innovation and just plain hard work. Our focus continues to be increased convenience, speed and security for our customers through continuous innovation, evolving with our customers and delivering what they need, when and how they want it. The entire team at Stearns Bank is committed to success, and we are honored to be recognized by American Banker magazine for the hard work we do every day for our customers.”

StearnsConnect is one example of Stearns Bank’s new digital offerings. An online and mobile banking app, StearnsConnect gives customers fast and simple access to all of their financial accounts and the ability to do any transaction at any time, from any device.

“It is because of all of the employees at Stearns Bank that we earned this designation as a top performing bank,” said CEO Norm Skalicky. “Their consistent dedication to top-notch service, continuous innovation and creativity helps us deliver on our customer commitment to get the job done.”