If you are shopping an SBA 7(a) or conventional commercial loan in North Dakota, the bank you call first matters more than most borrowers think. A lender that already writes a lot of commercial credit and sits in your state is structurally likelier to say yes than a national name passing through. This page ranks the North Dakota-headquartered banks doing the most commercial lending right now, using public Q2 2026 FFIEC call-report data. It is the open-book version of what the paid report does with far more inputs.
North Dakota is the only state that owns its own bank, and that public-banking backbone shapes a commercial market unlike anywhere else in the country.
The 15 most active commercial lenders in North Dakota
Ranked by commercial and industrial (C&I) loans outstanding, Q2 2026. Bank names link to the live BankingLens scorecard.
| # | Bank | City | Assets | C&I share | ROA | Fit notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bell Bank | Fargo | $15.2B | 15.9% | 0.93% | Large multi-state regional, a steady commercial book. Loan book up 9% YoY. Top sectors funded in ND: Other Services (5 loans), Accommodation/Food Service (4 loans) |
| 2 | Western State Bank | Devils Lake | $2.5B | 56.0% | 2.02% | Local commercial lender, heavy C&I concentration. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Top sectors funded in ND: Wholesale Trade (1 loan) |
| 3 | First International Bank and Trust | Watford City | $6.2B | 23.2% | 1.21% | Mid-size regional, an active C&I book. CRE-heavy book. Loan book up 9% YoY. Top sectors funded in ND: Professional Services (2 loans), Retail Trade (2 loans) |
| 4 | Alerus Financial | Grand Forks | $5.3B | 16.3% | 1.78% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Top sectors funded in ND: Other Services (3 loans), Wholesale Trade (3 loans) |
| 5 | Choice Financial Group | Fargo | $6.4B | 15.1% | 1.30% | Mid-size regional, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. Top sectors funded in ND: Professional Services (8 loans), Arts & Recreation (4 loans) |
| 6 | Bravera Bank | Dickinson | $3.8B | 12.3% | 1.38% | Regional commercial bank, a steady commercial book. Loan book up 16% YoY. |
| 7 | First Western Bank and Trust | Minot | $2.4B | 16.3% | 0.96% | Community bank, a steady commercial book. |
| 8 | Cornerstone Bank | Fargo | $1.9B | 16.9% | 1.23% | Local commercial lender, a steady commercial book. |
| 9 | Starion Bank | Bismarck | $2.1B | 13.6% | 1.15% | Community bank, a steady commercial book. CRE-heavy book. |
| 10 | Border Bank | Fargo | $1.1B | 14.2% | 1.31% | Local commercial lender, a steady commercial book. |
| 11 | Dakota Community Bank & Trust | Hebron | $1.4B | 11.2% | 1.83% | Community bank, a modest C&I share. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. Loan book up 13% YoY. |
| 12 | American State Bank & Trust Company of Williston | Williston | $643M | 27.2% | 2.65% | Small local lender, an active C&I book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. |
| 13 | Banknorth | Arthur | $694M | 11.5% | 1.92% | Small community bank, a modest C&I share. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. |
| 14 | United Valley Bank | Cavalier | $752M | 12.8% | 1.09% | Small local lender, a steady commercial book. Loan book up 12% YoY. |
| 15 | Kodabank | Drayton | $560M | 14.7% | 1.71% | Small community bank, a steady commercial book. Return on assets above 1.5 percent. |
Assets and ratios are Q2 2026 FFIEC call-report figures. ROA is annualized return on assets. A bank's headquarters city is shown; many lend statewide and beyond.
C&I lending muscle, ranked
Commercial and industrial loans outstanding for the top 10 North Dakota-HQ lenders, Q2 2026. This is the single number our ranking leans on hardest.
How we ranked these
Four steps, all of them transparent. First, we took every bank headquartered in North Dakota. Second, a capacity floor: we dropped every North Dakota-headquartered bank under $500M in total assets, because a smaller balance sheet rarely anchors a primary SBA 7(a) relationship. Third, an active-originator floor: we kept only banks whose commercial and industrial (C&I) loans are at least 10 percent of the loan book (a bank that is 90 percent home mortgages is not your SBA lender, regardless of size). Of the banks clearing both floors, 17 made the active list. Fourth, we ranked them by C&I loan dollars outstanding, which already blends balance-sheet size with how committed a bank is to commercial credit, and kept the top 15. Where the call report reports it, the fit notes also flag year-over-year loan-book growth as a rough read on whether a bank is leaning into lending or pulling back; the FFIEC filing does not break out SBA or C&I growth on its own, so treat that as directional, not precise.
Smaller banks may also fund your loan but rank below the active list.
The SBA section below ranks separately: it counts the SBA 7(a) and 504 loans each lender actually made in North Dakota, from SBA's own loan data, whatever state the lender is based in.
This table is an honest, simplified proxy. The call report does not show a bank's SBA volume or its appetite for your industry; the SBA section shows volume, but not which lender fits your deal. The $49 Borrower Assist report folds all of that in and ranks against your specific deal, not just your state. That is the part worth paying for.
Most active SBA lenders in North Dakota
The lenders that made the most SBA 7(a) and 504 loans to North Dakota businesses, federal fiscal year 2023 through June 30, 2026, counted from SBA's own loan-level data. National SBA platforms appear next to North Dakota's own banks because they lend here too.
40 SBA loans in North Dakota, $10.6M in total. Most often: Retail Trade, Accommodation/Food Service.
34 SBA loans in North Dakota, $5.8M in total. Most often: Construction, Other Services.
33 SBA loans in North Dakota, $7.7M in total. Most often: Construction, Administrative & Support.
31 SBA loans in North Dakota, $14.6M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Arts & Recreation.
22 SBA loans in North Dakota, $20.7M in total. Most often: Health Care, Accommodation/Food Service.
17 SBA loans in North Dakota, $33.2M in total. Most often: Other Services, Accommodation/Food Service.
17 SBA loans in North Dakota, $22.2M in total. Most often: Other Services, Wholesale Trade.
17 SBA loans in North Dakota, $8.3M in total. Most often: Other Services, Accommodation/Food Service.
15 SBA loans in North Dakota, $8.1M in total. Most often: Retail Trade, Administrative & Support.
14 SBA loans in North Dakota, $16.1M in total. Most often: Professional Services, Retail Trade.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) and 504 loan data, refreshed monthly. Ranked by number of loans. Lenders that have since merged count toward the bank that acquired them.
What North Dakota looks like for a borrower
North Dakota is the only state that owns its own bank, and that public-banking backbone shapes a commercial market unlike anywhere else in the country.
Across 60 North Dakota-headquartered banks sits $65.6B in total assets, anchored by Bell Bank in Fargo at $15.2B. Half the state's lenders hold more than 11.4% of their loans in C&I, half less; the ranking below pulls the most commercial-heavy to the top.
None of that tells you which of these banks will fund your specific deal. A $400,000 restaurant acquisition and a $4M owner-occupied warehouse purchase have different optimal lender lists even in the same state, and the ranking above does not split by loan size, industry, or collateral. Treat it as your starting shortlist, not your final answer.
How to use this list
- Start with the bank near you that has the strongest commercial profile, not just the closest branch. A lender with a real C&I book understands your deal faster.
- Ask for the SBA or commercial lending group directly. The general line routes business deals slowly.
- Have a one-page summary ready: use of funds, cash flow, collateral, owner credit, timeline. Banks decide whether to engage in the first ninety seconds.
- Run two banks in parallel, not five. Two real conversations close a loan; five waste everyone's time.
Hero photo: American farmland by benjamin lehman on Unsplash, used here as a regional editorial image for North Dakota.