American financial institutions have taken a grievous hit to their reputation in recent years. As a result, the trust and admiration of their stakeholders has grown disappearingly small.
Dix & Eaton, a 60-year-old, Cleveland-based communications consultancy, recently identified nine critical value factors that drive the reputation of financial institutions, and ranked the nation's 10 largest bank holding companies in terms of each.
The drivers were weighted according to the importance each was given in the analysis. The top five in terms of their influence on reputation:
- Return on shareholder investment (ROI)
- Corporate social responsibility
- Transparency
- Sustainability
- Image
The other four drivers were perception of stability, innovation, leadership and stakeholder relationship.
A focus on where the institutions ranked among the top drivers "will yield them the largest return on their investments given proper focus and direction within their competitive industry," Pamela Cohen, the D&E behavioral economist who led the analysis, said in a statement.
The rankings were finalized in April, Cohen told AdvisorOne in a telephone interview. When rankings are reissued after the end of the second quarter, she said, shifts are likely, in particular the position of JPMorgan Chase, which has run into a rough patch in recent weeks.
The analysis drew on 30 data sources, including industry rankings, surveys and government statistical information, D&E said in the statement.
It then used the proprietary D&E Impact Index, which combines behavioral economics and statistical modeling to provide a comprehensive, quantified analysis of intangible assets and then links those assets to desired outcomes for an organization or industry.
No single institution was first on every driver.
Following are the 10 banks ranked in each of the top five value categories that drive reputation. The institutions in the analysis were the largest bank holding companies by assets as of March 31. Check out which banks were rated highest overall in Top 10 Biggest U.S. Banks With Best Reputations.
Return on Investment
1. Citigroup
2. Goldman Sachs
3. JPMorgan Chase
4. Bank of America
5. Wells Fargo
6. The Bank of New York Mellon
7. Morgan Stanley
8. HSBC North America Holdings
9. U.S. Bancorp
10. MetLife
Corporate Social Responsibility
1. Bank of America
2. JPMorgan Chase
3. Wells Fargo
4. Citigroup
5. Goldman Sachs
6. Morgan Stanley
7. HSBC
8. Bank of New York Mellon
9. MetLife
10. U.S. Bancorp
Transparency
1. Citigroup
