Investing in Black Banks

Hi Lynn,

It's difficult to offer advice on the future outcomes of Black-owned banks (or any bank, for that matter). What we see today can change drastically in the course of a year.

But, I can tell you that you'll probably want to look at the most recent list of top-ranked Black-owned banks (ranked by asset size) and look at their financial reserves ratios. See if their loans are dangerously close to the amounts they have on deposit. Investigate why. This can change from year to year, so you have to monitor it closely. You'll also want to look at the management of those banks. Also, be wary of banking companies that have a high turnover of high-ranking officers (CEO, President, Secretary, Senior Vice-Presidents, etc.). This can be indicative of corporate officer impropriety in handling customer accounts or the an irreversible situation gone bad that no one wants to or is able to fix.

The website you can visit to monitor the banks is the Office of the Comptroller of Currency at