The average return on equity (ROE) at community banks, for instance, is quite solid and has improved over the past few years. Net interest margins for community banks are, on average, higher than those for larger banks, and recently this difference has been widening.
And, as a result of stable interest margins and improved cost controls, the return on assets (ROA) for community banks as a whole has remained well above industry standards for strong performance. Looking at other performance measures, we see that loan quality and capital ratios remain strong at community banks.