Sterling Federal Bank, F.S.B.
Sterling, Illinois, Whiteside County
$482M in total assets, the 1,865th largest of 4,309 US banks and 108th of 328 headquartered in Illinois.
- FDIC certificate
- 27664
- Established
- 1885
- Owned by
- No holding company
- Primary regulator
- OCC
- Website
- www.sterlingfederal.com
At a glance
Compared with 211 banks headquartered in Illinois 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 | $482M | 75% | $286M | |
| Loans | $338M | 81% | $174M | |
| Deposits | $403M | 75% | $237M | |
| Return on assets | -1.00% | 2% | 1.13% | |
| Net interest margin | 3.81% | 58% | 3.70% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 82.9% | 91% | 64.1% | |
| Equity to assets | 7.24% | 7% | 10.44% | |
| Loans to deposits | 84% | 68% | 76% |
Growth
Total assets grew -0.1% a year over the last 5 years and 0.9% a year over 10 years, without acquisitions.
Acquisitions
| Closed | Acquired bank | Assets at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2007 | Mt. Morris Savings and Loan Association Mount Morris, IL | $45M |
| Feb 2001 | Marquette Bank Clinton Clinton, IA | $89M |
Where they operate
9 branches in 4 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteside County, IL | $215M | 10.5% | 5 of 13 |
| Lee County, IL | $127M | 15.0% | 3 of 10 |
| Clinton County, IA | $35M | 2.5% | 7 of 7 |
| Ogle County, IL | $27M | 1.9% | 10 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
Net loss of 1 branch since 2016 (10 to 9, −10.0%). 0 opened, 0 acquired, 1 closed or sold.
| Period | What happened | Opened or acquired | Closed or sold | Net change | Branches at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | Starting point | 10 | |||
| 2022 | Closed Clinton | 0 | 1 | −1 | 9 |
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial real estate | 55% | 23% | |
| 1-4 family residential | 28% | 30% | |
| Farmland | 4% | 13% | |
| Business (C&I) | 4% | 12% | |
| Multifamily | 4% | 6% | |
| Construction and land | 3% | 4% | |
| Agricultural | 2% | 7% | |
| Consumer | 0% | 4% | |
| Other | 0% | 1% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other interest-bearing | 47% | 47% | |
| Time deposits | 38% | 34% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 15% | 19% |
Brokered deposits are 1.3% of deposits (peers 2.1%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 5.84% | 0.50% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 4.07% | 0.01% |
| Reserves to loans | 2.99% | 1.14% |
| Leverage ratio | 7.67% | 10.91% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in Illinois
Largest competitors in Whiteside County, IL
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/sterling-f-s-b