Banks improving in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri

Amid improving employment and housing conditions, bank performance is also on the mend in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. FDIC third quarter profiles show improved assets and return on assets for banks in all four of those states since 2011..Asset quality has improved for banks in the region, and banks in all four states saw their total assets increase from 2011 levels. Return on assets for banks in those states also improved during that same period, although the number of banks in each state declined..Kansas banks had a slight rise in total assets, to $62.6 billion from $61.9 billion. In Iowa banks, total assets increased to $71.7 billion from $68.6 billion. For Nebraska banks, that number rose to $63.9 billion from $57.7 billion. Missouri banks' total assets saw the greatest increase, climbing to $155.7 billion from $141.0 billion..Iowa banks' ROA increased to 1.18 percent from 1.15 percent after peaking at 1.26 percent in the third quarter of 2012. Nebraska banks' ROA grew to 1.03 percent from 0.96, although it is down from 1.19 percent in the 2012 third quarter..Kansas banks' ROA increased to 0.87 percent from 0.81 percent at the end of 2011. That number was 0.94 percent a year ago. Banks in Missouri saw their ROA reach 0.91 percent, up from 0.84 percent at the end of 2011, but down from 0.98 percent a year ago..As with the rest of the upper Midwest, the number of institutions in these states has diminished since 2011. Nebraska lost seven of its 217 banks. Iowa now has 333, having lost 12 banks. The number of banks in Missouri decreased to 309 from 331. In Kansas, 23 banks closed, bringing the state's total to 295..Agricultural loans make up the bulk of Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas banks' lending as a percentage of total risk-based capital, with 188.37 percent, 256.76 percent and 127.33 percent, respectively..In Missouri, commercial real estate provides the largest volume of loans, with 173.58 percent of total risk-based capital..Full third quarter profiles for Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri can be found by following the links.