Bank Forward
Fargo, North Dakota, Cass County
$1.1B in total assets, the 958th largest of 4,309 US banks and 12th of 60 headquartered in North Dakota.
- FDIC certificate
- 8941
- Established
- 1927
- Owned by
- Bk Forward Employee Stk Ownership Plan&tr
- Primary regulator
- FDIC
- Website
- WWW.BANKFORWARD.COM
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 | $1.1B | 9% | $2.5B | |
| Loans | $901M | 9% | $2.3B | |
| Deposits | $935M | 9% | $2.1B | |
| Return on assets | 1.71% | 82% | 1.27% | |
| Net interest margin | 3.63% | 36% | 3.89% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 65.8% | 82% | 61.4% | |
| Equity to assets | 10.52% | 64% | 9.24% | |
| Loans to deposits | 96% | 73% | 83% |
Growth
Total assets grew 5.9% a year over the last 5 years and 8.2% a year over 10 years, without acquisitions.
Acquisitions
| Closed | Acquired bank | Assets at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2006 | Centennial National Bank Walker, MN | $44M |
| Feb 1993 | Farmers State Bank Carrington, ND | $29M |
| Oct 1991 | The First State Bank of New Rockford New Rockford, ND | $15M |
| Oct 1991 | Farmers & Merchants Bank of Wimbledon Wimbledon, ND | $10M |
Where they operate
12 branches in 10 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stutsman County, ND | $186M | 18.9% | 2 of 7 |
| Barnes County, ND | $166M | 39.7% | 2 of 3 |
| Cass County, ND | $136M | 1.2% | 16 of 28 |
| Foster County, ND | $100M | 34.2% | 2 of 3 |
| Griggs County, ND | $97M | 56.1% | 1 of 4 |
| Grand Forks County, ND | $73M | 2.5% | 10 of 15 |
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 loss of 1 branch since 2016 (13 to 12, −7.7%). 2 opened, 0 acquired, 3 closed or sold.
| Period | What happened | Opened or acquired | Closed or sold | Net change | Branches at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | Starting point | 13 | |||
| 2016 | Closed Hackensack | 0 | 1 | −1 | 12 |
| 2018 | Opened Hannaford | 1 | 0 | +1 | 13 |
| 2021 | Opened Grand ForksClosed Grand Forks | 1 | 2 | −1 | 12 |
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural | 22% | 10% | |
| Commercial real estate | 19% | 26% | |
| Multifamily | 16% | 7% | |
| 1-4 family residential | 16% | 18% | |
| Farmland | 14% | 9% | |
| Construction and land | 7% | 6% | |
| Business (C&I) | 4% | 18% | |
| Consumer | 2% | 5% | |
| Other | 0% | 2% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other interest-bearing | 47% | 59% | |
| Time deposits | 31% | 24% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 22% | 17% |
Brokered deposits are 0.0% of deposits (peers 4.4%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 0.67% | 0.90% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 0.00% | 0.16% |
| Reserves to loans | 0.68% | 1.17% |
| Leverage ratio | 10.17% | 9.61% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in North Dakota
Largest competitors in Stutsman 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/bank-forward-fargo-nd