First Western Bank & Trust
Minot, North Dakota, Ward County
$2.4B in total assets, the 531st largest of 4,309 US banks and 8th of 60 headquartered in North Dakota.
- FDIC certificate
- 19123
- Established
- 1964
- Owned by
- Westbrand Inc
- Primary regulator
- FED
- Website
- www.firstwestern.bank
At a glance
Compared with 11 banks headquartered in North Dakota with $1 billion to $10 billion in assets, as of June 30, 2026.
| Measure | This bank | Percentile | Peer range, middle 90% | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets | $2.4B | 46% | $2.5B | |
| Loans | $1.9B | 46% | $2.3B | |
| Deposits | $2.0B | 46% | $2.1B | |
| Return on assets | 0.98% | 27% | 1.30% | |
| Net interest margin | 3.92% | 64% | 3.70% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 65.2% | 64% | 61.4% | |
| Equity to assets | 10.84% | 73% | 9.24% | |
| Loans to deposits | 98% | 82% | 83% |
Growth
Total assets grew 4.7% a year over the last 5 years and 9.0% a year over 10 years, including 2 acquisitions in the last 10 years.
Acquisitions
| Closed | Acquired bank | Assets at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2023 | State Bank of Lismore Lismore, MN | $62M |
| Nov 2020 | BlackRidgeBANK Fargo, ND, an affiliate under the same holding company | $548M |
| Aug 2011 | First Western Bank & Trust Eden Prairie, MN, an affiliate under the same holding company | $43M |
Where they operate
19 branches in 9 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ward County, ND | $1.2B | 33.9% | 1 of 11 |
| Crow Wing County, MN | $216M | 10.4% | 6 of 15 |
| Burleigh County, ND | $201M | 3.6% | 12 of 16 |
| Douglas County, MN | $114M | 6.5% | 6 of 15 |
| Cass County, ND | $101M | 0.9% | 17 of 28 |
| Hennepin County, MN | $68M | 0.0% | 46 of 68 |
Deposits by branch from the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 2026. Rank among all banks with branches in that county.
Branch history since 2016
Net gain of 15 branches since 2016 (4 to 19, +375.0%). 4 opened, 11 acquired, 0 closed or sold.
| Period | What happened | Opened or acquired | Closed or sold | Net change | Branches at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | Starting point | 4 | |||
| 2016 | Opened Bismarck | 1 | 0 | +1 | 5 |
| 2020 | Acquired BlackRidgeBANK | 10 | 0 | +10 | 15 |
| 2021 | Opened Sioux Falls | 1 | 0 | +1 | 16 |
| 2022 | Opened Fargo | 1 | 0 | +1 | 17 |
| 2023 | Acquired State Bank of Lismore | 1 | 0 | +1 | 18 |
| 2025 | Opened Chandler | 1 | 0 | +1 | 19 |
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial real estate | 29% | 25% | |
| Business (C&I) | 16% | 17% | |
| 1-4 family residential | 15% | 18% | |
| Agricultural | 9% | 11% | |
| Construction and land | 7% | 6% | |
| Multifamily | 7% | 8% | |
| Farmland | 6% | 9% | |
| Consumer | 2% | 5% | |
| Other | 8% | 2% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other interest-bearing | 45% | 59% | |
| Time deposits | 37% | 24% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 18% | 17% |
Brokered deposits are 6.1% of deposits (peers 3.9%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 1.38% | 0.79% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 0.23% | 0.13% |
| Reserves to loans | 1.02% | 1.17% |
| Leverage ratio | 9.61% | 9.63% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in North Dakota
Largest competitors in Ward County, ND
Figures as of June 30, 2026 from the bank's Call Report, FDIC structure and branch data, and the Federal Reserve. Short link: bankingstats.com/banks/first-western-bank-trust-minot-nd