Bank Forward: how it compares with its peers
Against 10 ND banks with half to twice its assets, Bank Forward's strongest measure in Q2 2026 is return on assets (1.72% vs. a 1.30% peer median). Its weakest relative measure is assets per employee ($5.2M vs. $7.7M).
| Measure | Bank Forward | Peer median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on assets Annualized net income over average assets. | 1.72% | 1.30% | Top third Ahead of 70% of peers |
| Net interest margin Annualized net interest income over earning assets. | 3.63% | 4.00% | Middle third Ahead of 40% of peers |
| Efficiency ratio Noninterest expense per dollar of revenue. Lower is better. | 65.80% | 58.10% | Bottom third Ahead of 20% of peers |
| Assets per employee Total assets over full-time-equivalent staff. | $5.2M | $7.7M | Bottom third Ahead of 0% of peers |
| Loans to deposits Net loans and leases over total deposits. | 95.64% | 84.23% | Context |
What it means for lending operations
Its efficiency ratio of 65.80% is above the 58.10% peer median: it spends more to earn each dollar of revenue than most banks its size. Staff time on manual borrower verification (collecting pay stubs, bank statements, and employment letters, then re-keying them) is one of the larger controllable costs behind that number.
Banks closest in size
- Border Bank Fargo, ND · $1.06B
- Dakota Community Bank & Trust, National Association Hebron, ND · $1.39B
- First United Bank Park River, ND · $811M
- American Federal Bank Fargo, ND · $796M
- United Valley Bank Cavalier, ND · $752M
- BankNorth Arthur, ND · $694M
Questions about Bank Forward
How big is Bank Forward?
Bank Forward, established in 1927, is headquartered in Fargo, ND. It reported $1.13B in total assets in its Q2 2026 FDIC call report and operates 12 offices.
What is Bank Forward's return on assets?
1.72% annualized in Q2 2026, against a 1.30% median for 10 ND banks with half to twice its assets, ahead of 70% of them.
What is Bank Forward's efficiency ratio?
65.80% in Q2 2026: it spent about 66 cents in noninterest expense for each dollar of revenue. The peer median is 58.10%, and lower is better.
Is Bank Forward growing its loans?
Net loans grew 6.4% over the year to Q2 2026, while deposits grew 13.5%.
Sources and method
Figures are from the FDIC’s public call report data for the quarter ending 06/30/2026, via FDIC BankFind. Return on assets and net interest margin are annualized year to date. Peers are ND banks with half to twice its assets in the same quarter, excluding this bank. The page refreshes daily, so new quarters appear as banks file. Compare another bank or see every North Dakota bank ranked.