Which US community and mid-size banks under $20 billion in assets lead in AI?

Data checked Oct 28, 2026 · 24 of 141 banks qualify · 45 sources cited · template updated Oct 30, 2026

AI index slices · computed from bank profiles via the AI index; nothing on this page is written by a model. All ranked answers: /banks/leaders

On the public record as of Oct 28, 2026, 24 of the 141 large banks profiled are US banks with consolidated assets under $20bn among the 120 US banks profiled. Ranked by AI index score (/100), the top 5 are Live Oak (52.0 index points), Bread Financial (50.3 index points), ConnectOne (44.9 index points), Busey Bank (44.8 index points) and Community Bank N.A. (41.6 index points). Live Oak's strongest evidence: Index score 52.0/100: 6 of 10 use cases in production, platform Casca AI loan origination (Live Oak Express), 10 independent of 29 sources.

141 banks profiled (120 US, 21 non-US) · 24 with matching evidence · ranked answer, not a comparison

Which of the US community and mid-size banks under $20 billion in assets lead in AI?

Checked 2026-10-28 · bank profiles via the AI index
#BankAI index score (/100)Index componentsStatusDateOn this siteSources
1Live Oak52.0Index score 52.0/100: 6 of 10 use cases in production, platform Casca AI loan origination (Live Oak Express), 10 independent of 29 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 19, 2026Live Oak profile →Live Oak Bancshares (GlobeNewswire) ↗ · American Banker ↗
2Bread Financial50.3Index score 50.3/100: 10 of 12 use cases in production, platform In-house agentic AI platform and AI knowledge-management tool, 10 independent of 25 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Bread Financial profile →Fortune ↗ · Bread Financial Holdings (SEC filing) ↗
3ConnectOne44.9Index score 44.9/100: 7 of 10 use cases in production, platform nCino Banking Advisor and custom agents on nCino's Agentic Operating System, 9 independent of 24 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026ConnectOne profile →nCino (GlobeNewswire) ↗ · American Banker ↗
4Busey Bank44.8Index score 44.8/100: 10 of 13 use cases in production, platform Director of AI, Data Science and Insights (from April 2026), 4 independent of 27 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Busey Bank profile →Busey Bank ↗ · First Busey Corporation ↗
5Community Bank N.A.41.6Index score 41.6/100: 9 of 12 use cases in production, platform AI team inside a four-business diversified model, 4 independent of 28 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Community Bank N.A. profile →Yahoo Finance ↗ · Community Financial System (SEC filings) ↗
6ServisFirst Bank39.1Index score 39.1/100: 4 of 6 use cases in production, platform Covecta agentic AI, 7 independent of 21 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026ServisFirst Bank profile →ServisFirst Bank ↗ · ServisFirst Bancshares (SEC filings) ↗
7Banner Bank36.2Index score 36.2/100: 9 of 12 use cases in production, platform Digital platform and AI capability investments; Banner Virtual Assistant, 3 independent of 27 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Banner Bank profile →StockStory (Yahoo Finance) ↗ · Banner Bank ↗
8Enterprise Bank & Trust34.7Index score 34.7/100: 10 of 13 use cases in production, platform Automation journey on the existing technology framework, 1 independent of 27 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 19, 2026Enterprise Bank & Trust profile →Yahoo Finance ↗ · Enterprise Bank & Trust (Enterprise University) ↗
9Hilltop30.7Index score 30.7/100: 6 of 9 use cases in production, no named platform, 8 independent of 19 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Hilltop profile →HousingWire ↗ · Hilltop Holdings (SEC filing) ↗
10First United Bank27.0Index score 27.0/100: 8 of 10 use cases in production, no named platform, 5 independent of 23 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 19, 2026First United Bank profile →Interface / FinTech Strategy (B2E Media) ↗ · First United Bank ↗
11First Commonwealth25.9Index score 25.9/100: 7 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 6 independent of 20 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026First Commonwealth profile →Investing.com ↗ · Moby via Yahoo Finance ↗
12The Bancorp21.7Index score 21.7/100: 4 of 10 use cases in production, no named platform, 5 independent of 18 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 19, 2026The Bancorp profile →Yahoo Finance ↗ · MarketBeat via Yahoo Finance ↗
13Trustmark19.3Index score 19.3/100: 6 of 10 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 20 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Trustmark profile →Trustmark Corporation (Business Wire via Yahoo Finance) ↗ · StockStory (Yahoo Finance) ↗
14NBT14.3Index score 14.3/100: 6 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 18 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026NBT profile →NBT Bancorp (SEC filing) ↗ · NBT Bancorp (SEC filing, ARS) ↗
15BancFirst11.0Index score 11.0/100: 6 of 7 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 19 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 19, 2026BancFirst profile →Cisco Webex (vendor blog) ↗ · Cisco Webex (vendor customer post) ↗
16Dime10.7Index score 10.7/100: 2 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 16 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 19, 2026Dime profile →Dime Community Bancshares (SEC filing) ↗
17Park National6.7Index score 6.7/100: 5 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 2 independent of 12 sourcesAI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Park National profile →Park National Corporation (SEC filing, ARS) ↗ · Park National Corporation (SEC filing, ARS) ↗
18Stifel Bank6.6Index score 6.6/100: 12 of 13 use cases in production, platform Stifel's advisor-first AI stance and fund-banking-driven balance sheet, 10 independent of 32 sourcesNo AI programme disclosedOct 19, 2026Stifel Bank profile →Stifel Financial ↗ · TheStreet (Yahoo Finance) ↗
19FirstBank3.6Index score 3.6/100: 9 of 12 use cases in production, no named platform, 7 independent of 24 sourcesNo AI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026FirstBank profile →FirstBank ↗ · American Banker ↗
20Bank of Hope2.1Index score 2.1/100: 6 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 26 sourcesNo AI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Bank of Hope profile →Bank of Hope ↗ · Hope Bancorp (SEC filings) ↗
21FirstSun2.0Index score 2.0/100: 1 of 5 use cases in production, no named platform, 5 independent of 23 sourcesNo AI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026FirstSun profile →nCino ↗ · nCino ↗
22National Bank Holdings2.0Index score 2.0/100: 6 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 4 independent of 20 sourcesNo AI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026National Bank Holdings profile →National Bank Holdings Corporation (SEC filing) ↗ · National Bank Holdings Corporation (SEC filing) ↗
23Nicolet1.1Index score 1.1/100: 2 of 5 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 18 sourcesNo AI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026Nicolet profile →Nicolet Bankshares (SEC filing) ↗ · Nicolet Bankshares (SEC filing) ↗
24First Financial Bankshares0.9Index score 0.9/100: 0 of 1 use cases in production, no named platform, 2 independent of 19 sourcesNo AI programme disclosedOct 13, 2026First Financial Bankshares profile →see bank page

Each row quotes one record from bank profiles via the AI index; the “On this site” link opens the bank's own page or sub-page with every source. Banks absent from the table have nothing matching on the record this site holds.

How is this ranked?

Data: the AI disclosure index (/banks/ai-index): eight components of the public record on AI (independent coverage, use cases in production, a named platform, own disclosures, moves in the last twelve months, numbers, leaders, use cases described), each a percentile rank; peer group: US banks with consolidated assets under $20bn among the 120 US banks profiled.

Rule: The peer group filtered from the index, in index order (score, then independent coverage, then assets). The score is the bank's percentile rank on each component against the full index set, weighted and summed; a bank that has disclosed no AI programme is capped at 30.

Counts: 24 of 141 profiled banks qualify; 45 distinct sources cited in the table. Data checked 2026-10-28; ranking template updated 2026-10-30.

What are the caveats?

The index measures depth of the public record, not capability; a bank that builds quietly ranks below one that publishes.

Banks absent from the table have nothing matching on the record this site holds, which is not evidence that they do nothing. Each row links the bank's own page, where every entry carries its sources.

Which bank ranks first?

Live Oak Bancshares leads with 52.0 index points: Index score 52.0/100: 6 of 10 use cases in production, platform Casca AI loan origination (Live Oak Express), 10 independent of 29 sources. Bread Financial is second with 50.3.

How many large banks under $20bn in assets rank on the AI index?

24 of the 141 profiled banks (120 US, 21 non-US groups). Among those listed, 24 are US banks and 0 non-US groups.

What counts, and what does not?

The peer group filtered from the index, in index order (score, then independent coverage, then assets). The score is the bank's percentile rank on each component against the full index set, weighted and summed; a bank that has disclosed no AI programme is capped at 30. Source: the AI disclosure index (/banks/ai-index): eight components of the public record on AI (independent coverage, use cases in production, a named platform, own disclosures, moves in the last twelve months, numbers, leaders, use cases described), each a percentile rank; peer group: US banks with consolidated assets under $20bn among the 120 US banks profiled.

Is this a measure of capability?

No. Every row is a sourced fact on the public record: what the bank, a regulator, a filing or an independent outlet has put on the record. The page does not rate how well anything works.

When was this checked, and how often does it update?

The data behind the table was last checked on 2026-10-28 (bank profiles via the AI index). The page recomputes whenever that dataset changes and is republished with the site; it is never edited by hand.

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