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Governance
08/13/2026

Understanding Your Bank’s Financial Metrics

Bank Director’s latest guide provides a glossary of key performance ratios and offers questions for board members to ask about the institution’s condition.

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About the authors
Written by
Emily McCormick Vice President of Editorial & Research

Emily McCormick is Vice President of Editorial & Research for Bank Director. Emily oversees research projects, from in-depth reports to Bank Director’s annual surveys on M&A, risk, compensation, governance and technology. She also manages content for the Bank Services Program, including Bank Director’s Online Training Series. In addition to speaking and moderating discussions at Bank Director’s in-person and virtual events, Emily writes and edits for Bank Director magazine, BankDirector.com and Bank Director’s weekly newsletter, The Slant. She started her career in the circulation department at the Knoxville News-Sentinel and graduated summa cum laude from The University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Business.

Emily McCormick
Vice President of Editorial & Research
Boards can expect to review a number of metrics to assess the financial condition of their bank and holding company, particularly ratios that describe profitability and expenses, credit quality, capital adequacy and liquidity. Those ratios can help drive critical conversations around strategic planning and the evaluation of the CEO. But these metrics should also inform the normal work of the board in ensuring the performance and soundness of the bank. With that in mind, Bank Director has developed this guide to define the most common metrics in banking and suggest questions directors could ask in the boardroom. These ratios include:…

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WRITTEN BY

Emily McCormick

Vice President of Editorial & Research

Emily McCormick is Vice President of Editorial & Research for Bank Director. Emily oversees research projects, from in-depth reports to Bank Director’s annual surveys on M&A, risk, compensation, governance and technology. She also manages content for the Bank Services Program, including Bank Director’s Online Training Series. In addition to speaking and moderating discussions at Bank Director’s in-person and virtual events, Emily writes and edits for Bank Director magazine, BankDirector.com and Bank Director’s weekly newsletter, The Slant. She started her career in the circulation department at the Knoxville News-Sentinel and graduated summa cum laude from The University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Business.