So much has been written about the troubles at large financial institutions, but what about the smaller, regional banks?
While everyone seems to be in a rush to dump financial stocks, many of these seemingly stable banks have been (unfairly) grouped together with the troubles at larger, more complex financial institutions.
This extreme pessimism that has dragged down the rest of the financial sector may have created opportunities for long-term investors willing to invest in "old-school" banks with a regional exposure.
To help you get ideas, we collected data on insider buying and identified a list of regional banks that have seen significant insider buying over the last six months.
Of course, insiders know more about their businesses than anyone else. So if they are using their own cash to buy the shares of their employers, you'd better pay close attention.
Use this list as a starting point for your own analysis. The list has been sorted by the relative size of insider buying over the last six months.
1. Bridge Capital Holdings
2. Patriot National Bancorp
3. Center Bancorp
4. Webster Financial
5. Central Pacific Financial
6. TIB Financial
7. Heritage Financial Group
8. Capital Bank
9. Middleburg Financial
10. Heritage Oaks Bancorp
Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the stocks mentioned above. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research.
Kapitall's Eben Esterhuizen does not own any of the shares mentioned above.