The Status of Washington's Banks

The Seattle Times has compiled a fascinating list of the important financial institutions in Washington and how they are faring this year. Use this interactive view to examine the Risk Ratio for your part of the state and then check to see how your own bank has handled the financial crisis. With over $6.5 billion dollars in non-performing assets statewide for just these 48 banks, there is no doubt that the banking sector in Washington has room to improve.

One part of this visualization that I rarely hear in the news are the disparities between regions within the state. For instance, in Seattle the comprehensive risk ratio averages 156.63% - almost every individual city beats this number. Similarly, the western part of the state averages 127%, the east only 59%. To me, this suggests a greater appetite for risk among city bankers and to a lesser extent the western region of the state.