# Which US community and mid-size banks under $20 billion in assets lead in AI? Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-under-20bn Last updated: Oct 30, 2026 Checked 2026-10-28 · bank profiles via the AI index. Nothing on this page is written by a model: every row is computed from that dataset. 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. ## Which of the US community and mid-size banks under $20 billion in assets lead in AI? | # | Bank | AI index score (/100) | Index components | Status | Date | On this site | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [Live Oak](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/live-oak) | 52.0 | 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 | AI programme disclosed | Oct 19, 2026 | [Live Oak profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/live-oak) | [Live Oak Bancshares (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/08/19/3135818/36594/en/Live-Oak-Ventures-Participates-in-Financing-of-Cascading-AI-Inc.html); [American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/huntington-live-oak-to-invest-in-deploy-gen-ai-based-lending) | | 2 | [Bread Financial](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bread-financial) | 50.3 | Index 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 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Bread Financial profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bread-financial) | [Fortune](https://fortune.com/2026/04/08/amid-the-saaspocalypse-cios-and-ctos-take-a-harder-line-with-their-vendors); [Bread Financial Holdings (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1101215/000110121526000016/bfh-20251231.htm) | | 3 | [ConnectOne](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/connectone) | 44.9 | Index 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 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [ConnectOne profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/connectone) | [nCino (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/07/14/3326739/0/en/connectone-bank-is-building-the-future-of-commercial-lending-on-ncino-s-agentic-operating-system.html); [American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/how-connectone-bank-uses-ai-to-save-time-on-admin-work) | | 4 | [Busey Bank](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/busey) | 44.8 | Index 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 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Busey Bank profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/busey) | [Busey Bank](https://www.busey.com/about-us/news-and-announcements/busey-announces-director-of-ai-data-science-and-insights); [First Busey Corporation](https://ir.busey.com/static-files/e566cc4a-c381-404d-a3b6-e8d0a79aced4) | | 5 | [Community Bank N.A.](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/community-bank-na) | 41.6 | Index score 41.6/100: 9 of 12 use cases in production, platform AI team inside a four-business diversified model, 4 independent of 28 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Community Bank N.A. profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/community-bank-na) | [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/CBU/earnings/CBU-Q2-2026-earnings_call-657028.html); [Community Financial System (SEC filings)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/723188/000110465926087355/tm2621422d1_ex99-1.htm) | | 6 | [ServisFirst Bank](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/servisfirst) | 39.1 | Index score 39.1/100: 4 of 6 use cases in production, platform Covecta agentic AI, 7 independent of 21 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [ServisFirst Bank profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/servisfirst) | [ServisFirst Bank](https://servisfirstbank.com/news/servisfirst-bank-selects-covecta-to-deploy-agentic-ai-across-its-operations); [ServisFirst Bancshares (SEC filings)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1430723/000117184326005359/sfbs20260630_10q.htm) | | 7 | [Banner Bank](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/banner) | 36.2 | Index 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 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Banner Bank profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/banner) | [StockStory (Yahoo Finance)](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/banr-q1-deep-dive-deposit-084523380.html); [Banner Bank](https://www.bannerbank.com/contact-us/banner-virtual-assistant) | | 8 | [Enterprise Bank & Trust](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/enterprise-bank) | 34.7 | Index score 34.7/100: 10 of 13 use cases in production, platform Automation journey on the existing technology framework, 1 independent of 27 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 19, 2026 | [Enterprise Bank & Trust profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/enterprise-bank) | [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/EFSCP/earnings/EFSCP-Q2-2026-earnings_call-653692.html); [Enterprise Bank & Trust (Enterprise University)](https://enterprisebank.com/insights/eu-ai-ceo-business-imperative) | | 9 | [Hilltop](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/hilltop) | 30.7 | Index score 30.7/100: 6 of 9 use cases in production, no named platform, 8 independent of 19 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Hilltop profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/hilltop) | [HousingWire](https://housingwire.com/winner-profile/2024-tech-trendsetter-kimberly-hartsough); [Hilltop Holdings (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1265131/000110465926015264/hth-20251231x10k.htm) | | 10 | [First United Bank](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-united) | 27.0 | Index score 27.0/100: 8 of 10 use cases in production, no named platform, 5 independent of 23 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 19, 2026 | [First United Bank profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-united) | [Interface / FinTech Strategy (B2E Media)](https://interface.media/blog/executiveinsights/first-united-bank-combining-community-banking-values-with-modern-technology); [First United Bank](https://www.firstunitedbank.com/spendlifewisely/chatgpt-privacy-risks-protecting-sensitive-information-digital-age) | | 11 | [First Commonwealth](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-commonwealth) | 25.9 | Index score 25.9/100: 7 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 6 independent of 20 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [First Commonwealth profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-commonwealth) | [Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/transcripts/earnings-call-transcript-first-commonwealth-beats-q2-2026-estimates-shares-rise-93CH-4821505); [Moby via Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/first-commonwealth-financial-corporation-q2-123000772.html) | | 12 | [The Bancorp](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/the-bancorp) | 21.7 | Index score 21.7/100: 4 of 10 use cases in production, no named platform, 5 independent of 18 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 19, 2026 | [The Bancorp profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/the-bancorp) | [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/bancorp-inc-tbbk-q2-2026-190120101.html); [MarketBeat via Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/bancorp-q2-earnings-call-highlights-130357747.html) | | 13 | [Trustmark](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/trustmark) | 19.3 | Index score 19.3/100: 6 of 10 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 20 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Trustmark profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/trustmark) | [Trustmark Corporation (Business Wire via Yahoo Finance)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trustmark-corporation-announces-second-quarter-203000303.html); [StockStory (Yahoo Finance)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trmk-q2-deep-dive-loan-151702996.html) | | 14 | [NBT](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/nbt) | 14.3 | Index score 14.3/100: 6 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 18 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [NBT profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/nbt) | [NBT Bancorp (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/790359/000114036126007179/ef20060005_10k.htm); [NBT Bancorp (SEC filing, ARS)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/790359/000114036126013244/ny20059955x4_ars.pdf) | | 15 | [BancFirst](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bancfirst) | 11.0 | Index score 11.0/100: 6 of 7 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 19 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 19, 2026 | [BancFirst profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bancfirst) | [Cisco Webex (vendor blog)](https://blog.webex.com/customer-experience/webexone-2025-connected-intelligence-redefining-cx-with-new-innovations); [Cisco Webex (vendor customer post)](https://blog.webex.com/customer-experience/momentum-meet-impact-strong-customer-adoption-webex-ai-agent-contact-center/) | | 16 | [Dime](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/dime) | 10.7 | Index score 10.7/100: 2 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 16 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 19, 2026 | [Dime profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/dime) | [Dime Community Bancshares (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/846617/000084661726000013/dcom-20251231x10k.htm) | | 17 | [Park National](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/park-national) | 6.7 | Index score 6.7/100: 5 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 2 independent of 12 sources | AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Park National profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/park-national) | [Park National Corporation (SEC filing, ARS)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/805676/000080567626000023/a2025annualreport_finalx.htm); [Park National Corporation (SEC filing, ARS)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/805676/000080567625000020/a2024annualreport_final-.htm) | | 18 | [Stifel Bank](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/stifel-bank) | 6.6 | Index 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 sources | No AI programme disclosed | Oct 19, 2026 | [Stifel Bank profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/stifel-bank) | [Stifel Financial](https://stifel.com/investor-relations/DownloadEarningsReleaseFile?fiscalYear=2026&id=263); [TheStreet (Yahoo Finance)](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/stifel-earnings-expose-wall-street-030700080.html) | | 19 | [FirstBank](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/fb-financial) | 3.6 | Index score 3.6/100: 9 of 12 use cases in production, no named platform, 7 independent of 24 sources | No AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [FirstBank profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/fb-financial) | [FirstBank](https://firstbankonline.com/personal-banking/personal-online-and-mobile/insights); [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/need-for-speed-faster-deal-timelines-may-spur-more-bank-m-a) | | 20 | [Bank of Hope](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bank-of-hope) | 2.1 | Index score 2.1/100: 6 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 26 sources | No AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Bank of Hope profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bank-of-hope) | [Bank of Hope](https://bankofhope.com/files/5e94cd4778dd2a41681ea9ba/user%20guides_ach%20payments.pdf); [Hope Bancorp (SEC filings)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1128361/000119312525078439/d888910ddef14a.htm) | | 21 | [FirstSun](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/firstsun) | 2.0 | Index score 2.0/100: 1 of 5 use cases in production, no named platform, 5 independent of 23 sources | No AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [FirstSun profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/firstsun) | [nCino](https://ncino.com/en-US/news/ncino-acquires-sandbox-banking); [nCino](https://www.ncino.com/news/powering-a-new-era-5-key-themes-from-nsight-2025) | | 22 | [National Bank Holdings](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/national-bank-holdings) | 2.0 | Index score 2.0/100: 6 of 8 use cases in production, no named platform, 4 independent of 20 sources | No AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [National Bank Holdings profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/national-bank-holdings) | [National Bank Holdings Corporation (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1475841/000110465926019119/nbhc-20251231x10k.htm); [National Bank Holdings Corporation (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1475841/000147584126000013/nbhc-20260507xdef14a.htm) | | 23 | [Nicolet](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/nicolet) | 1.1 | Index score 1.1/100: 2 of 5 use cases in production, no named platform, 3 independent of 18 sources | No AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [Nicolet profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/nicolet) | [Nicolet Bankshares (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1174850/000117485026000077/nic-20251231.htm); [Nicolet Bankshares (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1174850/000117485026000086/nic-20260324.htm) | | 24 | [First Financial Bankshares](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-financial-bankshares) | 0.9 | Index score 0.9/100: 0 of 1 use cases in production, no named platform, 2 independent of 19 sources | No AI programme disclosed | Oct 13, 2026 | [First Financial Bankshares profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-financial-bankshares) | | ## 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. ## FAQ ### 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. ## Related questions - [Which US regional banks with $20 billion to $50 billion in assets lead in AI?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-20-50bn) - [Which large banks are the leaders in AI?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/ai) - [Which large banks launch the most innovative products and services?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/innovative-products-services) - [Which US banks with over $500 billion in assets lead in AI?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-over-500bn) - [Which US banks with $100 billion to $500 billion in assets lead in AI?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-100-500bn) - [Which US banks with $50 billion to $100 billion in assets lead in AI?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-50-100bn) - [Which non-US banking groups lead in AI?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-non-us) - [Which UK banks lead in AI?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-uk) - [All ranked answers](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders) --- Canonical page: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/leaders/top-ai-banks-under-20bn Part of [BankingNewsAI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/) — a free daily brief on AI in banking, an AI regulation tracker (45 authorities, 260 documents) and AI-strategy profiles of the 120 largest US banks. Markdown versions of every reference page: append `.md` to the page URL; index at https://www.bankingnewsai.com/llms.txt.