Which banks are lending on multifamily and commercial real estate in North Carolina?
Reviewed by Dominick Prevete, Founder, Blue Sky Capital Advisors
LinkedInBlue Sky Capital Advisors LLC, NJ entity ID 0450507578 (verify on the NJ business search)
36 FDIC-insured banks headquartered in North Carolina with under $100 billion in assets held $1.9 billion of multifamily loans and $16.7 billion of commercial real estate loans at June 30, 2026, in Dominick Prevete's analysis of FDIC Call Report data for Blue Sky Capital Advisors, a commercial mortgage advisor. The two largest multifamily books are at First Bank and First Carolina Bank. 17.3% of the state's bank CRE sits at banks at or above the 300% monitoring level, rank 17 of 43 states.
Data as of June 30, 2026 (Q2 2026 FDIC Call Reports) · Retrieved October 12, 2026MethodologyDownload the North Carolina data (CSV)
North Carolina bank CRE at a glance
| Measure | North Carolina | U.S. | Rank of 43 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDIC-insured banks | 36 | 4,281 | 33 |
| Multifamily loans | $1.9B | $405.2B | 38 |
| Total CRE loans | $16.7B | $1,600.5B | 30 |
| Multifamily growth, year over year | +14.3% | +3.5% | 9 (tied) |
| CRE growth, year over year | +10.0% | +3.4% | 3 |
| Share of CRE at banks at or above 300% | 17.3% | 25.0% | 17 |
| Share of CRE at banks at or above 200% | 88.7% | 71.0% | 10 |
| Banks growing multifamily | 8 of 11 (72.7%) | 670 of 1,066 (62.9%) | 7 |
CRE is construction, multifamily and non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans. Growth is like for like: North Carolina banks that filed at both dates with no merger in the year. "Banks growing multifamily": of the 11 such North Carolina banks with a multifamily book of $25 million or more a year earlier, the 8 whose book is larger now; the rank orders that share.
What stands out in North Carolina
Like for like, North Carolina's banks' multifamily books grew 14.3% in the year to June 30, 2026, tied for the 9th highest of the 43 ranked states (U.S.: +3.5%).
Banks here added multifamily loans faster than banks nationally, so a local bank is more likely to have room for a new apartment loan.
8 of North Carolina's 11 banks with a multifamily book of $25 million or more a year ago grew it (72.7%), ranking 7th highest of the 43 ranked states (U.S.: 62.9%).
More of this state's multifamily lenders are growing their books than nationally, so a borrower here has more banks worth asking.
Which North Carolina banks are growing multifamily?
| # | Bank | City | Multifamily loans | Multifamily, year over year | CRE concentration (% of capital) | CRE, 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRST BANK | SOUTHERN PINES | $619.5M | +21.6% | 280.0% | +14.0% |
| 2 | FIRST CAROLINA BANK | ROCKY MOUNT | $433.1M | +15.7% | 448.0% | +26.8% |
| 3 | HOMETRUST BANK | ASHEVILLE | $130.5M | +15.1% | 235.1% | −4.3% |
| 4 | SOUTHERN BANK&TRUST CO | MOUNT OLIVE | $120.8M | +20.4% | 158.5% | −2.0% |
| 5 | PROVIDENCE BANK | ROCKY MOUNT | $107.3M | +19.9% | 394.8% | +62.5%† |
| 6 | FIDELITY BANK | FUQUAY VARINA | $84.9M | −4.2% | 206.0% | +24.1% |
| 7 | NORTH STATE BANK | RALEIGH | $56.3M | −5.8% | 277.4% | +11.7% |
| 8 | PEOPLES BANK | NEWTON | $46.0M | +6.8% | 214.7% | +37.1% |
| 9 | PIEDMONT FSB | WINSTON SALEM | $33.8M | +29.1% | 91.1% | +96.5%† |
| 10 | BANK OF OAK RIDGE | OAK RIDGE | $30.3M | +4.0% | 222.8% | +9.6% |
| 11 | MECHANICS&FARMERS BANK | DURHAM | $29.3M | −8.3% | 95.0% | +18.2% |
| 12 | LIVE OAK BANKING CO | WILMINGTON | $26.2M | +195.2% | 226.8% | +111.7% |
| 13 | LIFESTORE BANK | WEST JEFFERSON | $22.5M | +13.6% | 130.3% | +18.9% |
| 14 | LUMBEE GUARANTY BANK | PEMBROKE | $21.1M | +4.6% | 110.3% | +11.0% |
| 15 | ROXBORO SAVINGS BANK SSB | ROXBORO | $14.2M | +42.0% | 50.3% | +45.4% |
| 16 | KS BANK INC | SMITHFIELD | $13.5M | +52.5% | 398.0% | +86.9% |
| 17 | RIVERSIDE SAVINGS BANK SSB | ROANOKE RAPIDS | $12.9M | +1.2% | 122.5% | +21.3% |
| 18 | FARMERS&MERCHANTS BANK | GRANITE QUARRY | $9.8M | +11.1% | 209.8% | +1.4% |
| 19 | UWHARRIE BANK | ALBEMARLE | $9.4M | +42.5% | 172.3% | +45.1% |
| 20 | BLUEHARBOR BANK | MOORESVILLE | $9.1M | −36.8% | 273.8% | +58.2% |
| 21 | TRIAD BUSINESS BANK | GREENSBORO | $7.2M | −57.3% | 258.6% | +18.7% |
| 22 | TARBORO SAVINGS BANK SSB | TARBORO | $7.1M | +2.0% | 118.6% | +13.6% |
| 23 | MORGANTON SAVINGS BANK SSB | MORGANTON | $6.4M | −4.1% | 49.3% | −20.9% |
| 24 | NANTAHALA BANK&TRUST CO | FRANKLIN | $5.9M | −8.5% | 180.1% | +0.6% |
| 25 | AMERICAN BK OF THE CAROLINAS | MONROE | $5.7M | +48.3% | 204.2% | +34.0% |
‡ / † 2 of these 25 North Carolina banks absorbed another institution inside the year-over-year / 36-month window (FDIC structure history), so their change reflects a merger, not solely new lending. Names as filed in the FDIC financial data; city is the headquarters. Shading: 300% and over, and 200%–299%.
Banks with $100 billion or more in assets are left out of this table and the state ranks, as on the national page: the largest banks' balance sheets are national. 3 are headquartered in North Carolina and are in the North Carolina CSV.
This list is FDIC Call Report data, not a list of Blue Sky's lender relationships, and it isn't a ranking or endorsement. How Blue Sky gets paid →
Download every North Carolina bank (CSV)Every state, and the national picture →
What this means if you're a borrower in North Carolina
Banks that are adding multifamily loans tend to compete for them, so it is worth asking more than one North Carolina bank before taking the first terms you see.
With many North Carolina banks growing their multifamily books, a borrower usually has more than one bank to compare before choosing.
Dominick Prevete of Blue Sky Capital Advisors arranges multifamily and commercial financing for North Carolina properties with banks and other lenders, and is paid at closing (how Blue Sky gets paid). Call (908) 220-6404 or request a consultation.
Sources
- FFIEC Central Data Repository: public Call Reports as of June 30, 2026 — Every bank figure on this page: each bank's loans, capital, concentration and growth, from its Call Report as of June 30, 2026 (retrieved October 12, 2026).
- FDIC BankFind Suite: bank lookup — The banks named in the table: look up any North Carolina bank by name or FDIC certificate number to confirm its headquarters and status.
- North Carolina banks, bank by bank (CSV) — The 39 banks headquartered in North Carolina, as filed: the rows behind the tables and every state figure here.
- Methodology, sources and limitations — How CRE concentration, like-for-like growth and the ranks among the 43 states are computed.
North Carolina bank CRE: common questions
Which banks in North Carolina hold the most multifamily loans?+
Among banks headquartered in North Carolina with under $100 billion in assets, First Bank ($619.5 million), First Carolina Bank ($433.1 million) and Hometrust Bank ($130.5 million) held the largest multifamily books at June 30, 2026, according to FDIC Call Report data. The table on this page lists the 25 largest, with each bank's change over the year.
Are North Carolina banks still growing multifamily?+
Like for like, North Carolina's banks grew 14.3% their multifamily books in the year to June 30, 2026, against +3.5% for U.S. banks under $100 billion. 8 of the 11 North Carolina banks with a multifamily book of $25 million or more a year earlier grew it. Like for like means banks that filed at both dates with no merger in the year.
How concentrated is North Carolina bank CRE?+
17.3% of the CRE held by North Carolina's banks under $100 billion sits at banks at or above 300% of capital, the 2006 interagency monitoring level: rank 17 of 43 states, against 25.0% nationally. 88.7% sits at banks at or above 200%. These are monitoring levels, not limits, and a bank above one is not in violation of anything.
Why don't national banks appear in this list?+
Banks with $100 billion or more in assets are left out of this page's tables and ranks, as on the national page: the largest banks' balance sheets are national, so their headquarters state says little about where they lend. 3 are headquartered in North Carolina; they are in the North Carolina CSV. Every bank here is listed by headquarters state, not by where its loans are.
How often is this updated?+
Every quarter, after banks file their Call Reports. This North Carolina page reflects the 39 North Carolina banks' June 30, 2026 (Q2 2026) filings, retrieved October 12, 2026; Q3 2026 data is expected in December 2026.
What this table is not. Concentration ratios are computed from each North Carolina bank's own public regulatory filings and describe portfolio composition relative to capital — nothing here is a statement about any institution's safety, soundness, or condition, and exceeding a supervisory monitoring criterion is neither a violation nor a supervisory finding. Blue Sky Capital Advisors is a commercial mortgage advisory firm, not a bank rating agency.