Let’s dig into the relative performance of Valley National Bank (NASDAQ: VLY) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q4 regional banks earnings season.

Regional banks, financial institutions operating within specific geographic areas, serve as intermediaries between local depositors and borrowers. They benefit from rising interest rates that improve net interest margins (the difference between loan yields and deposit costs), digital transformation reducing operational expenses, and local economic growth driving loan demand. However, these banks face headwinds from fintech competition, deposit outflows to higher-yielding alternatives, credit deterioration (increasing loan defaults) during economic slowdowns, and regulatory compliance costs. Recent concerns about regional bank stability following high-profile failures and significant commercial real estate exposure present additional challenges.

The 95 regional banks stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.4%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 3.9% on average since the latest earnings results.

Valley National Bank (NASDAQ: VLY)

Tracing its roots back to 1927 during the economic boom before the Great Depression, Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQGS:VLY) operates Valley National Bank, providing commercial, consumer, and wealth management banking services across several states.

Valley National Bank reported revenues of $542.5 million, up 12.2% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. Overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and a narrow beat of analysts’ tangible book value per share estimates.

Ira Robbins, CEO, commented, "Valley's momentum accelerated throughout 2025 and enabled us to deliver strong balance sheet growth, improved profitability, and report record quarterly earnings in the fourth quarter. I am extremely proud of our diverse core deposit and disciplined loan growth, which both supported the meaningful improvement in our net interest margin."

Interestingly, the stock is up 8.4% since reporting and currently trades at $13.31.

Is now the time to buy Valley National Bank? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ: MBIN)

With a strategic focus on low-risk, government-backed lending programs, Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQCM:MBIN) is an Indiana-based bank holding company specializing in multi-family mortgage banking, mortgage warehousing, and traditional banking services.

Merchants Bancorp reported revenues of $185.3 million, down 4.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.8%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 20.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $42.07.

Is now the time to buy Merchants Bancorp? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK)

Operating behind the scenes of many popular fintech apps and prepaid cards you might use daily, The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK) is a bank holding company that specializes in providing banking services to fintech companies and offering specialty lending products.

The Bancorp reported revenues of $172.7 million, up 8.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 11%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ tangible book value per share estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 14.1% since the results and currently trades at $60.62.

Read our full analysis of The Bancorp’s results here.

Live Oak Bancshares (NYSE: LOB)

Founded during the 2008 financial crisis with a vision to reimagine small business banking through technology, Live Oak Bancshares (NYSE: LOB) is a bank holding company that specializes in providing online banking services and SBA-guaranteed loans to small businesses across targeted industries nationwide.

Live Oak Bancshares reported revenues of $151.9 million, up 16.8% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Taking a step back, it was a slower quarter as it logged a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a miss of analysts’ tangible book value per share estimates.

The stock is up 4.3% since reporting and currently trades at $40.67.

Read our full, actionable report on Live Oak Bancshares here, it’s free.

FB Financial (NYSE: FBK)

Founded in 1906 and operating through more than a century of economic cycles, FB Financial (NYSE: FBK) operates FirstBank, providing commercial and consumer banking services across Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and North Georgia.

FB Financial reported revenues of $178.4 million, up 33.9% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a decent beat of analysts’ revenue estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ tangible book value per share estimates.

The stock is down 2.6% since reporting and currently trades at $60.

Read our full, actionable report on FB Financial here, it’s free.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.