Forbes Ranks Columbia Bank Among America's Top 20

Tacoma-based Columbia Bank ranks as best in Washington state and jumps to position 17 on Forbes list of "America's Best and Worst Banks"

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Columbia Banking System, Inc.

Jan 19, 2015, 01:32 ET

TACOMA, Wash., Jan. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Forbes names Columbia Bank as the best in Washington state on its list of America's Best and Worst Banks 2015. Listed at No. 17, Columbia Bank made a significant jump from its previous position of No. 31. The list - on which Columbia Bank has appeared since 2011 - ranks 100 of the largest publicly traded banks and thrifts in the country.

"The Forbes list is meaningful recognition for us since it acknowledges not just our growth, but our commitment to providing a strong and secure community bank to best serve our customers," said Melanie Dressel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tacoma-based Columbia Bank and its parent company, Columbia Banking System, Inc. "We were very gratified to be ranked the best in Washington and second in the Pacific Northwest for the fourth year in a row. "

Data for the list was provided by financial data provider SNL Financial, and was based on regulatory filings of public banks and thrifts as of September 30, 2014. Therefore, the data does not reflect Columbia Banking System's most recent acquisition of Intermountain Community Bancorp ("Intermountain"), the parent company of Panhandle State Bank, which became effective as of November 1, 2014.

The study gauged the health of the 100 largest publicly traded banks and thrifts based on key financial metrics including: net interest margin; nonperforming loans (NPLs) as a percentage of loans; nonperforming assets as a percentage of assets; reserves as a percentage of NPLs; two capital ratios (Tier 1 and risk-based) and leverage ratio. The rankings also factor revenue growth for the latest 12 months based on data from FactSet Research Systems.

Columbia Bank has been serving the Northwest since 1993. For branch locations and more information, visit www.columbiabank.com.

About Columbia
Headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, Columbia Banking System, Inc. is the holding Company of Columbia State Bank, a Washington state-chartered full-service commercial bank. For the eighth consecutive year, the bank was named in 2014 as one of Puget Sound Business Journal's "Washington's Best Workplaces."

More information about Columbia can be found on its website at www.columbiabank.com.