Forbes has produced its 2026 ranking of America’s Best-In-State Banks. The ninth annual rankings—created in partnership with market research firm Statista—are based on survey responses from 26,000 U.S. residents. The rankings include nine Texas-based banks. Participants were asked how satisfied they were and how likely they were to recommend the U.S.-based banks at which they have a checking or savings account, those at which they had an account within the past three years and those they knew through friends and family. Online-only banks were excluded, as well as larger institutions with branches in 15 or more states. Participants were also asked to rate their financial institutions on factors including trust, customer service, digital tools, the quality of financial advice given and whether fees were transparent and reasonable. As with all Forbes lists, companies do not pay to participate or be selected.
Additionally, Statista gathered more than 1.2 million publicly available reviews and ratings online about each bank written between February 2023 and March 2026. This research was incorporated into the analysis, accounting for 20 percent of each financial institution’s score, while the surveys accounted for 80 percent. The banks with the highest overall scores made the Forbes rankings, with 228 unique banks recognized in one or more states.
In its introduction to the new results, Forbes noted that:
Consumer banks are struggling to attract new customers, according to the BAI 2026 Banking Outlook report from the nonprofit ProSight Financial Association. This survey-driven research found that 35 percent of Gen-Z respondents and 32 percent of Millennial respondents were either “definitely” or “probably” planning to change their primary bank within the next six months, which is a substantial increase from last year’s report, in which 20 percent of Gen-Z and 21 percent of Millennials planned to make that switch.
Texas-based financial institutions included in Forbes’ 2026 Best In-State Banks survey:
| State Rank |
Name | CEO | HQ | Year Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VeraBank | Brad Tidwell | Henderson | 1930 |
| 2 | Southside Bancshares | Keith Donahoe | Tyler | 1960 |
| 3 | Texas Bank and Trust | Rogers Pope Sr. | Longview | 1958 |
| 4 | The First National Bank of Central Texas | Joe Barrow | Waco | 1901 |
| 5 | Inwood National Bank | Rick Carroll | Dallas | 1964 |
| 6 | American State Bank | Peter Bennis | Arp | 1911 |
| 7 | First National Bank Texas | Robert W. Hoxworth | Killeen | 1901 |
| 8 | First Financial Bank | David Bailey | Abilene | 1889 |
| 9 | Capital Bank | Linden Goehring | Jacinto City | 1965 |
Click here to see the full list of Forbes 2026 Best-In-State Banks 2026.
