Financial strength ranking · South Carolina · Call Report data as of Q2 2026

Best Banks in South Carolina by Financial Strength

Carolina Bank & Trust Company ranks first among the 39 banks headquartered in South Carolina we score, with a financial strength score of 77.6 out of 100 as of June 30, 2026. The score averages each bank's national percentile on four Call Report ratios: return on assets, efficiency ratio, Tier 1 leverage ratio and nonperforming assets ratio.

Ranked first: Carolina Bank & Trust Company
Its score: 77.6 of 100
Banks scored in South Carolina: 39
Its return on assets: 2.04%

Every scored bank in South Carolina

Select a column heading to sort. Score is 0 to 100, where 100 would be the best US bank on all four ratios; ratios for Q2 2026.

Banks headquartered in South Carolina ranked by financial strength score, with total assets, return on assets, efficiency ratio, Tier 1 leverage ratio and nonperforming assets ratio.

1	Carolina Bank & Trust Company Lamar	77.6	2.04%	41.62%	13.51%	0.29%	$844.6M
2	The Bank of Clarendon Manning	74.3	1.64%	50.65%	11.66%	0.00%	$438.3M
3	Bank of York York	73.9	1.83%	46.45%	12.88%	0.27%	$317.7M
4	Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina Holly Hill	73.1	1.55%	52.06%	16.56%	0.22%	$413.6M
5	Peoples Bank the Iva	72.7	1.68%	60.74%	12.92%	0.00%	$446.7M
6	First Piedmont Federal Savings and Loan Association Gaffney	71.0	1.84%	52.65%	29.14%	0.64%	$597.1M
7	The Bank of South Carolina Charleston	67.0	1.71%	54.54%	11.76%	0.19%	$571.2M
8	The Conway National Bank Conway	66.5	1.45%	48.25%	10.23%	0.01%	$2.00B
9	Palmetto State Bank Hampton	65.4	1.13%	58.52%	14.85%	0.05%	$597.5M
10	Bank of Travelers Rest Travelers Rest	56.8	1.28%	56.68%	10.29%	0.07%	$1.60B
11	First National Bank of South Carolina Holly Hill	56.4	1.21%	61.41%	12.42%	0.20%	$309.7M
12	First Community Bank Lexington	53.8	1.38%	57.15%	9.29%	0.04%	$2.38B
13	First Capital Bank Charleston	52.8	1.14%	52.77%	9.58%	0.09%	$1.32B
14	Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association Seneca	52.7	0.80%	60.25%	13.55%	0.24%	$679.4M
15	United Community Bank Greenville	51.7	1.63%	55.57%	9.52%	0.36%	$28.99B
16	South Atlantic Bank Myrtle Beach	50.4	1.10%	58.32%	9.42%	0.01%	$1.98B
17	The Citizens Bank Olanta	50.1	1.30%	59.52%	9.91%	0.17%	$1.14B
18	First Palmetto Bank Camden	50.0	1.22%	56.76%	9.42%	0.11%	$1.10B
19	Bank of Greeleyville Greeleyville	49.8	1.45%	65.20%	10.62%	0.26%	$160.1M
20	Coastal Carolina National Bank Myrtle Beach	48.1	0.99%	61.62%	9.38%	0.00%	$1.35B
21	Coastal States Bank Hilton Head Island	46.9	1.25%	57.90%	11.12%	0.76%	$2.42B
22	First Reliance Bank Florence	46.6	1.09%	69.62%	10.53%	0.06%	$1.13B
23	Pickens Savings and Loan Association, Federal Association Pickens	46.1	0.68%	71.61%	10.86%	0.00%	$138.3M
24	CBL State Savings Bank Greer	45.4	0.04%	97.88%	15.93%	0.01%	$191.3M
25	Spratt Savings Bank Chester	45.4	0.19%	91.29%	20.38%	0.07%	$154.4M
26	Anderson Brothers Bank Mullins	44.8	1.57%	58.71%	9.29%	0.53%	$2.38B
27	The Commercial Bank Honea Path	43.6	0.85%	72.64%	12.65%	0.27%	$284.2M
28	Southern First Bank Greenville	40.7	0.99%	56.02%	8.89%	0.27%	$4.70B
29	Optus Bank Columbia	38.6	0.59%	68.07%	12.99%	0.63%	$764.2M
30	Security Federal Bank Aiken	37.4	0.93%	68.70%	10.83%	0.43%	$1.54B
31	1st Federal Savings Bank of SC, Inc. Walterboro	36.0	0.59%	82.64%	9.68%	0.00%	$151.6M
32	Enterprise Bank of South Carolina Ehrhardt	35.3	3.85%	74.47%	9.26%	2.00%	$535.1M
33	Blue Ridge Bank Walhalla	33.8	0.60%	82.31%	9.19%	0.00%	$199.4M
34	Countybank Greenwood	33.2	1.37%	76.32%	8.72%	0.34%	$733.0M
35	Bank of the Lowcountry Walterboro	33.0	0.74%	70.80%	9.25%	0.12%	$430.2M
36	Abbeville First Bank, SSB Abbeville	30.8	0.82%	72.59%	10.38%	0.53%	$138.8M
37	Arthur State Bank Union	30.3	1.19%	69.08%	8.30%	0.46%	$831.9M
38	Dedicated Community Bank Darlington	29.5	0.97%	73.85%	9.27%	0.35%	$100.6M
39	Southern Bank Spartanburg	16.5	0.11%	90.25%	8.18%	0.33%	$407.9M

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How the score works

Each bank gets a percentile on each of four ratios, measured against every US bank that filed a Call Report for the quarter and turned so that higher is always better: 100 is the best bank in the country on that ratio and 0 the weakest. The score is the plain average of the four percentiles; 3,583 banks nationwide are scored.

Return on assets: higher is better.
Efficiency ratio: lower is better.
Tier 1 leverage ratio: higher is better.
Nonperforming assets ratio: lower is better.

A bank is scored when it is ranked on all four of those leaderboards: at least $100 million in total assets, open, a lending institution, and a quarter not driven by gains or losses on equity securities. Banks are listed by headquarters state.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best bank in South Carolina?

By our financial strength score, Carolina Bank & Trust Company of Lamar ranks first among the 39 scored banks headquartered in South Carolina, scoring 77.6 out of 100 for Q2 2026: return on assets of 2.04%, an efficiency ratio of 41.62%, a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 13.51% and nonperforming assets of 0.29% of total assets. The Bank of Clarendon and Bank of York rank second and third.

How are the best banks in South Carolina ranked?

Each bank is placed on four Call Report ratios against every US bank that filed for the quarter: return on assets and the Tier 1 leverage ratio, where higher is better, and the efficiency ratio and the nonperforming assets ratio, where lower is better. Each placement is a percentile from 0 to 100, and the score is their average. Only banks with at least $100 million in assets that are ranked on all four ratios are scored, 3,583 banks nationwide.

Does this ranking say which bank I should open an account with?

No. The score reads only what a bank files with its regulators: earnings, cost control, capital and problem assets. It does not measure deposit rates, fees, branches, apps or service, which matter most when choosing a bank for an account, and it is not a safety rating. FDIC insurance protects deposits at insured banks up to the legal limit regardless of a bank's score.

More in South Carolina

Largest banks in South Carolina Bank deposits in South Carolina Largest credit unions in South Carolina Return on assets ranking Efficiency ratio ranking Tier 1 leverage ratio ranking Nonperforming assets ratio ranking All rankings

Source: FFIEC Call Reports for Q2 2026, refreshed as each quarter's filings are processed. A ranking is not a safety rating: FDIC insurance covers deposits at insured banks up to the legal limit, whatever the score. Check your coverage with the FDIC insurance calculator.