This comparison uses public regulatory filings and TFS methodology. It evaluates financial condition—not checking rates, account fees, service quality, or which institution is universally “best.”
Bank
Walterboro, SC
Health score
75.1
Total assets
$430.2M
Bank
Holly Hill, SC
Health score
80.5
Total assets
$413.6M
Answer first
Bank of the Lowcountry leads on lending quality and growth; Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina leads on financial health and capitalization and profitability. Those category leads describe current regulatory metrics only and do not establish a universal product or service winner.
Capital and asset-quality definitions are directly comparable for this pair.
Category leaders
Financial health
Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina
Higher TFS health score
Capitalization
Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina
Higher comparable capital ratio
Profitability
Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina
Higher return on assets
Lending quality
Bank of the Lowcountry
Lower problem-loan measure
Growth
Bank of the Lowcountry
Higher year-over-year asset growth
Same-source detail
Winner markers appear only where the metric definitions are comparable and both values are available.
| Metric | Bank of the Lowcountry | Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| TFS health score | 75.1/100 | 80.5/100Leads |
| Total assets | $430.2M | $413.6M |
| Total deposits / shares | $365.0M | $350.8M |
| Tier 1 capital ratio | 9.25% | 16.56%Leads |
| Return on assets | 0.75% | 1.80%Leads |
| Return on equity | 10.42% | 13.76% |
Bank of the Lowcountry
5 branches
Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina
8 branches
Both institutions report branches in 1 state: SC.
Bank of the Lowcountry
Unavailable
Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina
Unavailable
Counts use an explicitly reviewed CFPB-company-to-regulatory-ID mapping and the same complete 12-month window. Parent-company attribution can include complaints involving affiliates. Lower complaint volume is context—not proof of better service or less consumer harm.
Bank of the Lowcountry
0 in TFS registry
Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina
0 in TFS registry
Institution-level actions come from TFS's exact regulatory-ID registry and are shown as factual context only. They do not affect category winners or the TFS Financial Health Grade. A zero means no action is currently published in this curated registry—not proof that none exists.
Quarterly history
| Quarter | Bank of the Lowcountry score | Bank of the Lowcountry ROA | Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina score | Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina ROA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-Q3 | — | 0.37% | — | 1.65% |
| 2024-Q4 | — | 0.39% | — | 1.50% |
| 2025-Q1 | — | 0.49% | — | 1.74% |
| 2025-Q2 | — | 0.64% | — | 1.65% |
| 2025-Q3 | — | 0.68% | — | 1.55% |
| 2025-Q4 | — | 0.71% | — | 1.48% |
| 2026-Q1 | 74.8/100 |
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Coverage boundaries
Related comparisons
Financial data comes from FDIC BankFind Suite or NCUA Call Reports as labeled. TFS Health Grades are an editorial assessment, not an official government rating or financial advice. Arbitrary comparison pairs are available dynamically but remain noindex unless curated for data completeness and user value.
| Non-performing loans | 0.15%Leads | 0.74% |
| Net charge-offs | 0.00%Leads | 0.11% |
| Efficiency ratio | 74.95% | 48.61%Leads |
| Loan-to-deposit ratio | 88.58% | 34.67% |
| Asset growth (YoY) | 16.61%Leads | 0.75% |
| Deposit / share growth (YoY) | 5.61%Leads | -1.31% |
| Branches | 5 | 8 |
| Published CFPB complaints per $1B deposits (12 months)verified mappings only | — | — |
| 0.77% |
| 80.9/100 |
| 2.02% |
| 2026-Q2 | 75.1/100 | 0.75% | 80.5/100 | 1.80% |