You don’t need to be an analyst to get a useful read on a bank’s financial health. The data is free and public, and four metrics cover most of it.
Step 1: find the call-report data
Every US bank files a quarterly call report with regulators, and the FDIC publishes it. Search your bank on the FDIC BankFind Suite, or look it up directly on BankGrade if it’s one of the largest banks.
Step 2: read these four signals together
| Metric | What it measures | Rule-of-thumb |
|---|---|---|
| Capital ratio (equity ÷ assets) | Loss-absorbing cushion | Higher is sturdier; ~8–12% typical |
| Risk-based capital ratio | Capital vs risk-weighted assets | ~10%+ is “well capitalized” |
| Nonperforming assets ÷ assets | Problem-loan share | Under ~1% is comfortable |
| Texas Ratio | Problem assets vs capital + reserves | Lower is better; ~100% is a stress signal |
| Return on assets (ROA) | Profitability per dollar of assets | ~1%+ is healthy |
The key is reading them together. A bank can have strong capital but weak earnings, or fat profits with rising problem assets. Our guide to call-report metrics goes deeper on each.
Step 3: don’t confuse health with deposit safety
A bank’s metrics describe its balance sheet — they are not the thing that protects your money. That’s FDIC insurance, which covers $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category regardless of any ratio. Use the coverage calculator to confirm your balance is within the limit.
A shortcut
BankGrade rolls these signals into a single transparent A–F grade for each of the largest banks, while still showing every underlying number. It’s a fast starting point — but always read the detail and verify on the FDIC source before drawing conclusions.
Informational only — not financial advice or a solvency opinion. Source: FDIC BankFind Suite, Q1 2026.