Merit Bank vs The Hometown Bank of Alabama
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
Merit Bank
Huntsville, AL
Health score
77.6
Total assets
$581.6M
Bank
The Hometown Bank of Alabama
Oneonta, AL
Health score
77.1
Total assets
$660.7M
Answer first
Different strengths, no blanket winner
Merit Bank leads on financial health and profitability and lending quality and growth; The Hometown Bank of Alabama leads on capitalization. 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
Where each institution leads
Financial health
Merit Bank
Higher TFS health score
Capitalization
The Hometown Bank of Alabama
Higher comparable capital ratio
Profitability
Merit Bank
Higher return on assets
Lending quality
Merit Bank
Lower problem-loan measure
Growth
Merit Bank
Higher year-over-year asset growth
Same-source detail
Financial metrics
Winner markers appear only where the metric definitions are comparable and both values are available.
| Metric | Merit Bank | The Hometown Bank of Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| TFS health score | 77.6/100Leads | 77.1/100 |
| Total assets | $581.6M | $660.7M |
| Total deposits / shares | $446.6M | $563.9M |
| Tier 1 capital ratio | 9.70% | 11.08%Leads |
| Return on assets | 1.01%Leads | 0.97% |
| Return on equity | 10.43%Leads | 10.26% |
| Non-performing loans | 0.00%Leads | 2.03% |
| Net charge-offs | 0.14% | 0.01%Leads |
| Efficiency ratio | 58.76%Leads | 71.65% |
| Loan-to-deposit ratio | 88.75% | 70.64% |
| Asset growth (YoY) | 26.56%Leads | 3.36% |
| Deposit / share growth (YoY) | 16.18%Leads | 2.39% |
| Branches | 1 | 5 |
| Published CFPB complaints per $1B deposits (12 months)verified mappings only | — | — |
Branch and market overlap
Merit Bank
1 branches
The Hometown Bank of Alabama
5 branches
Both institutions report branches in 1 state: AL.
CFPB complaint coverage
Merit Bank
Unavailable
The Hometown Bank of Alabama
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.
Regulatory-action context
Merit Bank
0 in TFS registry
The Hometown Bank of Alabama
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
Health and profitability trend
| Quarter | Merit Bank score | Merit Bank ROA | The Hometown Bank of Alabama score | The Hometown Bank of Alabama ROA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-Q3 | — | 0.33% | — | 1.06% |
| 2024-Q4 | — | 0.33% | — | 1.13% |
| 2025-Q1 | — | 0.46% | — | 1.08% |
| 2025-Q2 | — | 0.68% | — | 1.23% |
| 2025-Q3 | — | 0.60% | — | 1.30% |
| 2025-Q4 | — | 0.66% | — | 1.36% |
| 2026-Q1 | 77.0/100 | 0.97% | 74.3/100 | 0.68% |
| 2026-Q2 | 77.6/100 | 1.01% | 77.1/100 | 0.97% |
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Coverage boundaries
What this does not conclude
- • No product-rate, fee, or customer-service winner without product data.
- • Complaint comparisons appear only when both institutions have reviewed mappings and the same complete source window.
- • Regulatory actions are displayed separately and are not included in category scoring.
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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. Every valid pair is viewable; pairs enter search automatically only when current data, comparability, and visitor interest meet the publication rules.