Sterling Bank
Barron, Wisconsin, Barron County
$352M in total assets, the 2,281st largest of 4,309 US banks and 85th of 155 headquartered in Wisconsin.
- FDIC certificate
- 6195
- Established
- 1885
- Owned by
- Northwest Wisconsin Bcorp Inc
- Primary regulator
- FDIC
- Website
- http://www.sterlingbank.ws
At a glance
Compared with 109 banks headquartered in Wisconsin with $100 million to $1 billion in assets, as of June 30, 2026.
| Measure | This bank | Percentile | Peer range, middle 90% | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets | $352M | 52% | $344M | |
| Loans | $258M | 54% | $241M | |
| Deposits | $314M | 58% | $287M | |
| Return on assets | 1.63% | 76% | 1.24% | |
| Net interest margin | 3.54% | 30% | 3.86% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 55.6% | 29% | 60.7% | |
| Equity to assets | 9.23% | 28% | 10.40% | |
| Loans to deposits | 82% | 40% | 86% |
Growth
Total assets grew 2.7% a year over the last 5 years and 4.8% a year over 10 years, without acquisitions.
Acquisitions
| Closed | Acquired bank | Assets at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2001 | Chetek State Bank Chetek, WI, an affiliate under the same holding company | $55M |
Where they operate
4 branches in 2 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barron County, WI | $276M | 20.3% | 2 of 8 |
| Polk County, WI | $39M | 4.1% | 9 of 11 |
Deposits by branch from the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 2026. Rank among all banks with branches in that county.
Branch history since 2016
No change since 2016. The bank has operated 4 branches throughout, with none opened, acquired, closed or sold.
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial real estate | 34% | 28% | |
| 1-4 family residential | 32% | 32% | |
| Construction and land | 8% | 7% | |
| Multifamily | 7% | 8% | |
| Business (C&I) | 6% | 10% | |
| Farmland | 5% | 8% | |
| Agricultural | 2% | 2% | |
| Consumer | 1% | 2% | |
| Other | 5% | 2% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other interest-bearing | 50% | 48% | |
| Time deposits | 30% | 34% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 20% | 19% |
Brokered deposits are 0.0% of deposits (peers 5.7%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 0.02% | 0.23% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 0.03% | 0.00% |
| Reserves to loans | 0.90% | 1.15% |
| Leverage ratio | 9.37% | 10.95% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in Wisconsin
Largest competitors in Barron County, WI
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/sterling-bank-barron-wi