Check our work.

We can’t show you our clients’ data, so we built a real example. Every claim on this page is shown on one market: the 1,916 US community banks that an operations software company called TieOut sells to.

  1. One standardOne standard, with real examples.
  2. Market dashboardSee what’s happening across your whole market.
  3. Marketing rankingsEvery account ranked by fit and timing, with the reasons attached.
  4. Buying committeeGet insights into the full buying committee on every account.
  5. Monthly changesYour market is constantly moving.

One standard, with real examples.

  • Sales
  • Marketing

TieOut’s standard is its ideal customer, defined as a set of tests. We built it ourselves from public bank data and tested it against real banks. For you, it starts with interviews with your team and your CRM. Every trait a named bank carries comes with a real example: the company, the evidence, the date.

Marketing and Sales build this with our team to ensure they agree on which accounts matter most every time, with clear evidence.

Entry tests

What a bank must be to count as part of TieOut’s market at all. These are the firmographics any data provider sells, and every bank in the market passes them, so they cannot tell one bank from another.

1,916 of 1,916 banks pass all three

A US bank the FDIC insures

It files a public financial report every quarter.

Real example

FDIC certificate 7900, insured since 1934

FDIC BankFind, 1 Jan 1934 Check it (FDIC BankFind for NexTier Bank, N.A., opens in a new tab)

$300M to $10B in assets

Big enough for an operations team, small enough to buy rather than build.

Real example

$2.93B in total assets

FDIC call report, 30 Jun 2026 Check it (FDIC call report for NexTier Bank, N.A., opens in a new tab)

At least 50 staff

Roughly where a bank has named operations leaders.

Real example

313 full-time staff

FDIC call report, 30 Jun 2026 Check it (FDIC call report for NexTier Bank, N.A., opens in a new tab)

Fit traits

What makes a bank need what TieOut sells. Each one is read from the bank’s own filings, website or job posts.

A merger it has not finished absorbing

Required

It is the buyer in a deal, closed or only signed, and the work is not done: the systems are not merged, costs have not recovered, or it is still hiring for operations. Only a bank with this one can be worth engaging.

Real example

It took over Adirondack Bank on 1 July 2026. Its filing that day says the banking system conversion and integration is scheduled to be completed later in 2026.

SEC Form 8-K, 1 Jul 2026 Check it (SEC Form 8-K for Arrow Bank, N.A., opens in a new tab)

High running costs

It spends a lot to earn each dollar: an efficiency ratio above about 70%, or in the upper half of the usual 55 to 70% range. This scores the level only; a rising ratio counts as timing.

Real example

Its efficiency ratio was 72.60% in June 2026: about 73 cents of running costs for each dollar of revenue. It has stayed above 70% on every quarterly report since June 2023.

FDIC call reports, 30 Jun 2023 to 30 Jun 2026 Check it (FDIC call reports for Ion Bank, opens in a new tab)

Staff growing fast

Its full-time staff grew by about 15% or more in three years, on its quarterly FDIC report. This measures headcount growth alone.

Real example

Its full-time staff nearly doubled in three years, from 73 in June 2023 to 144 in June 2026.

FDIC call reports, 30 Jun 2023 to 30 Jun 2026 Check it (FDIC call reports for Dream First Bank, N.A., opens in a new tab)

Online banking partway through a change

Its online banking, mobile app or account opening is partway through a change. After a merger, that is one of the few signs of unfinished work a customer can see.

Real example

Over 10 to 13 April 2026 it moved customers of the branches it bought onto its own online banking and mobile app.

Internet Archive, 10 Apr 2026 Check it (Internet Archive for Security First Bank, opens in a new tab)

Hiring for conversion or back-office work

It has open roles in loan or deposit operations, reconciliation, core conversion or data migration.

Real example

It is hiring a temporary deposit operations specialist for July to December 2026, to reconcile and verify general ledger entries.

Heritage Bank job posting, Jul to Dec 2026 No link: job ads come down

Timing signals

What makes now the moment for TieOut. These three drive the timing score, which is kept apart from fit, and the standard treats each as current only for a set time after its date.

Just closed a deal

It has just bought a bank or branches. The legal close starts a conversion with a fixed deadline that runs for several quarters.

The standard reads it as current for 6 quarters

Real example

On 22 April 2026 it took over The First National Bank of Hugo, Colorado, and its three branches.

FDIC structure record, 22 Apr 2026 Check it (FDIC structure record for High Plains Bank, opens in a new tab)

Costs rising

Its efficiency ratio, the number bank boards watch most, has worsened over recent quarters: costs are growing faster than revenue.

The standard reads it as current for 4 quarters

Real example

Its efficiency ratio rose about 10 points in a year, from 59.7% in June 2025 to 69.6% in June 2026.

FDIC call reports, 30 Jun 2025 to 30 Jun 2026 Check it (FDIC call reports for The Fountain Trust Company, opens in a new tab)

Branches opening or closing

It is opening, closing or selling branches, which changes routing, staffing and reporting, and usually comes with a wider change in how it runs.

The standard reads it as current for 4 quarters

Real example

It closed its West Shaw branch in Fresno and its Bakersfield branch on 24 July 2026, and opened a deposit office in Irvine on 17 August 2026.

FDIC structure record, 24 Jul and 17 Aug 2026 Check it (FDIC structure record for Community West Bank, opens in a new tab)

Counts against

What lowers a bank’s standing, or disqualifies it outright.

Already runs a rival product

It already runs a competing operations workflow or integration platform. A match counts against the bank.

Real example

Since March 2025 it has run a rival workflow platform in every department, from HR and treasury to mortgage and trust.

Vendor case study, Mar 2025 Check it (Vendor case study for Rio Bank, opens in a new tab)

Ruled out

Any one of these disqualifies a bank, whatever else it carries.

  • A credit union
  • Under $300M in assets
  • Over $10B in assets
  • Outside the US
Real example Not found

None of the 14 banks we name is disqualified.

Next Market dashboard

See what’s happening across your whole market.

  • Marketing

This is TieOut’s whole market, every bank counted from the research. Filter by region, assets, charter or company size, or keep to the banks worth engaging, and every count follows.

GTM leaders use this to plan territories and target accounts, identify trends, and get ahead of future market needs.

Try a filter

Region
Assets
Charter
Company size

Showing all 1,916 banks analyzed

1,916banks analyzed
175worth engaging
15not placed on the ladder

The four groups, stage by stage

Counting the banks…

Stage mix by region

Select a row to filter by it; select more to add them.

Compare groups

Each bar is the share of that group’s banks analyzed where the research found it: how often it showed up in what was read, not a rate for the market. Hatched bars rest on fewer than 20 banks.

What the research found at each stage

Each bar is drawn against the banks at that stage in this view. A trait counts where the research confirmed it; a signal counts where it found at least one dated signal of that type.

Every dated signal the research found

By assets and company size

select to filter

Fit and timing, scored separately

Fit is how closely a bank matches the traits TieOut looks for in an ideal customer. Timing is how much dated evidence says now is the moment. They are separate measurements, so they are shown apart and never combined.

Notes on how this is counted

Counts, not shares of the market

Every figure counts banks where the research found the evidence. A bank that isn’t counted may still have the trait; the research didn’t find it. Where a share appears, it’s a share of the banks analyzed in that group, given to one decimal so two bars that look different never carry the same figure.

Who is in it

Every bank in the example that passed all three entry checks (an FDIC-insured US bank, $300M to $10B in assets, at least 50 employees), 1,916 in all. Each is counted once, at its latest analysis in the published edition.

Region, assets and charter

These three come from the FDIC’s public directory of insured banks, not from the research. A charter says who licenses and supervises a bank.

Two readings of size

The research and the directory each say how large a bank is, on different dates. Assets come from the directory; smaller, mid-market and larger are the research’s own size bands. The page shows both and doesn’t reconcile them.

What counts as confirmed

A trait counts as confirmed when the research recorded it as met or partially met.

Timing signals

A signal type counts once per bank, when the research found at least one dated signal of that type. Signals outside the ten types aren’t broken out.

The ladder

Stages come from each bank’s own operating numbers. The efficiency ratio is what a bank spends to earn each dollar of revenue, so higher is worse.

Small samples

Any view resting on fewer than 20 banks is hatched and flagged. The number is still exact; read it as anecdote rather than pattern.

Worth engaging

The research marks a bank worth engaging when three things hold together: its fit clears TieOut’s bar, its timing scores 55 or more, and it is the buyer in an acquisition whose work is not yet absorbed. So every bank worth engaging carries the acquisition trait by definition.

This dashboard names no bank

Each row is banded and anonymous, and these panels count rows without ever listing them.

Every figure counts banks analyzed. This dashboard names no bank.

The most common problems across your market, by volume.

Of the problems TieOut solves, how many of the 1,916 banks show each one. That tells TieOut’s marketing team which webinar to run first, and which banks to invite to speak.

The problems TieOut solves, by number of banks Has the problem Does not show it All 1,916 banks, one dot each

  1. Bringing operating costs down

    730 of 1,916 banks, 38%

    Running costs high against revenue: an efficiency ratio above about 70%, or in the top half of the usual 55 to 70%.

    • FDIC (opens in a new tab)

      Efficiency ratio of 75.80% on its June 2026 call report.

    • FDIC (opens in a new tab)

      Efficiency ratio of 72.60% on its June 2026 call report.

    • FDIC (opens in a new tab)

      Efficiency ratio of 68.41% on its June 2026 call report.

  2. Managing fast headcount growth

    376 of 1,916 banks, 20%

    Full-time staff up 15% or more over three years, on the bank’s own FDIC call reports.

    • FDIC (opens in a new tab)

      Staff grew from 73 to 144 in three years, up 97%.

    • FDIC (opens in a new tab)

      Staff grew from 818 to 981 in three years, up 20%.

  3. Finishing a merger integration

    256 of 1,916 banks, 13%

    Bought or agreed to buy a bank, branches or a business line, and the work it creates is not yet absorbed.

Also seen 291 banks (15%) were hiring for loan operations, deposit operations or conversion work. 228 banks (12%) were partway through a change to their online banking, app or account opening. Both can be signs of these problems rather than topics of their own.

A bank counts in every row where we confirmed the problem, so one bank can appear in several.

Next Marketing rankings

Every account ranked by fit and timing, with the reasons attached.

  • Sales
  • Marketing

Each bank scored on two separate questions: how closely it matches TieOut’s ideal customer, and how much dated evidence says now is the moment.

Marketing uses this to focus spend on the accounts worth engaging now, and Sales uses it to decide who to reach out to first.

Worth engaging, watch, or not a fit yet

Three bars put each bank in a group: a fit score, a timing score, and one trait every bank must have, a merger it has not finished absorbing.

  1. Worth engaging 175

    Each clears all three bars: fit of 21 or more, timing of 55 or more, and a merger it has not finished absorbing.

  2. Watch 448

    Fit of 21 or more, but timing under 55 or no merger still to absorb. These are the banks to watch for a new deal or a timing change.

  3. Not a fit yet 1,293

    Fit under 21 for now. We re-read every bank every month, and an acquisition or other change can lift its fit.

One dot per bank, in rank order.

All 1,916 banks, by fit and timing Each dot is one bank, placed at its two scores. The ringed ones open that bank’s analysis.
Worth engaging The rest of the market Opens its analysis Gray dots at fit 21 or more are Watch. Those below 21 are not a fit yet.

The fourteen banks whose full analysis you can open

Rank among all 1,916

Ranked by group, then by timing, then by fit. Banks tied on all three share a rank.

Next Buying committee

Get insights into the full buying committee on every account.

  • Sales
  • Marketing

NexTier Bank is a Pennsylvania bank partway through a merger. We found the people the merger work lands on and documented why each one matters.

Marketing uses this to split sequences and ads by persona for more precise messaging, and Sales uses it to personalize outreach and multithread deals.

NexTier Bank

Fit 67 Timing 92 Worth engaging

Why now Its merger with Riverside Bank of Dublin took legal effect on 31 August 2026, and the systems conversion is expected in November 2026. The bank’s announcement

Buying committee, by persona 8 of 15 people
  1. 1

    Brian Dutton

    EVP, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel

    Persona Chief Operating Officer Seniority C-Suite

    Responsible for day-to-day operational functions and M&A legal affairs, making him the primary executive owner of the ongoing Riverside Bank of Dublin integration and core conversion program.

  2. 2

    Lou Palumbo

    Chief Information Officer

    Persona Technology leadership Seniority C-Suite

    Owns the bank’s core IT architecture, vendor relationships and the core consolidation technical path required for the upcoming November 2026 operational merger.

  3. 3

    Heather Lively

    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

    Persona Chief Financial Officer Seniority C-Suite

    Oversees financial planning, capital allocation and budget approvals for bank initiatives, including post-merger integration expenses.

  4. 4

    Justin Steele

    Operations Project Manager

    Persona Loan and deposit operations leadership Seniority Manager

    Has direct, hands-on experience managing core systems and operations projects, having previously served as AVP/Core Systems Manager at NexTier.

  5. 5

    Kevin Materson

    AVP Core Systems Manager

    Persona Technology leadership Seniority AVP

    Manages the core banking platform (Fiserv Premier) that must absorb Riverside Bank of Dublin’s accounts during the November 2026 cutover.

  6. 6

    Jesse Pierce

    Senior Core Systems Administrator

    Persona Technology leadership Seniority Senior

    Provides direct technical administration for NexTier’s core banking systems, handling system configurations and data feeds required for the Riverside integration.

  7. 7

    Carrie Suess

    VP Deposit Operations Manager

    Persona Loan and deposit operations leadership Seniority VP

    The deposit operations leader responsible for managing deposit accounts, exception queues and customer migration workflows for the bank.

  8. 8

    Stephanie Slezak

    Vice President, Loan Operations

    Persona Loan and deposit operations leadership Seniority VP

    Oversees commercial and consumer loan processing, documentation and boarding onto NexTier’s core system.

Found in public professional profiles. The reasons draw on the bank’s own merger announcement and one of its job postings. We kept 15 of the 20 people we looked at. These are the top 8.

Next Monthly changes

Your market is constantly moving.

  • Sales
  • Marketing

A bank’s scores should change when the bank does. To show that, we went back and scored two banks as of the first of each month from June to September, using only what was public on each date. We score every bank three times, and a score only changes when all three runs agree, so one odd result can’t move it. When something happened at a bank, its scores moved. When nothing did, they stayed put.

Marketing uses this to add accounts to campaigns as their timing rises, and Sales uses it to reach out while a change is still fresh.

Choose a bank

NexTier Bank

NexTier agreed in May to buy Riverside Bank of Dublin, Ohio. Over the summer, the evidence that it matches TieOut’s ideal customer kept building, so its fit score climbed from 25 to 67. Its timing score rose when the merger legally closed at the end of August.

Click a date to see what each score did, and why. The numbered circles on each chart are events, listed below.

Fit

How closely the bank matches TieOut’s ideal customer

67on 1 Sep up 42 since June

Timing

How strongly recent events say now is the moment

88on 1 Sep up 3 since June

1 July

Fit 42 up 17 from 25

Fit rose 17 points. On 24 June, NexTier posted a job for a loan-servicing specialist to move loans onto its core system. Hiring for operations work like that is another trait TieOut looks for.

24 June 2026Job listingNo link: job ads come down

Timing 85

No change. The deal still had not closed.

Everything that happened at NexTier 3 events
  1. 1

    Agreed to buy Riverside Bank of Dublin, Ohio.

    PR Newswire, archived copyCheck it (PR Newswire, archived copy, opens in a new tab)

  2. 2

    Posted a job for a loan-servicing specialist to move loans onto its core system.

    Job listingNo link: job ads come down

  3. 3

    Its merger with Riverside legally closed. Combining the two banks’ systems is due in November.

    PR NewswireCheck it (PR Newswire, opens in a new tab)

NexTier Bank: fit and timing on the first of each month
DateFitTiming
1 June2585
1 July4285
1 August4285
1 September6788
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