Alliance Bank vs Civista Bank

As of Q1 2026, Civista Bank carries a larger commercial real estate loan book than Alliance Bank, roughly 4.1× the size — $1.9B versus $459.6M. CRE book size is one gauge of how much lending capacity a bank is actively deploying, though a bigger book is not automatically better for a borrower; what matters is whether the bank is still growing that book and how concentrated it has become.

Both banks are letting their CRE books contract quarter over quarter — Alliance Bank is down 0.5% and Civista Bank is down 1.7%. A shrinking CRE book can signal a lender in run-off mode, tightening credit standards, or working through past-due loans, all of which can make a new loan harder to place.

Neither bank has run past the 300% CRE concentration guideline — Alliance Bank is at 221% and Civista Bank at 261%. Banks well below the guideline typically have more room to keep adding commercial real estate loans, which tends to mean more competitive pricing and terms for borrowers.

Alliance Bank carries a higher nonaccrual CRE ratio (1% of its CRE book, versus 1% at the other). Rising nonaccruals consume management attention and provisions and often precede tighter credit standards — a useful caution flag when comparing the two as a potential lender.

County recorded documents show both lenders actively closing commercial loans — 2 recent for Alliance Bank and 2 for Civista Bank. Alliance Bank shows the heavier recent activity in the records we track. Filed deeds of trust are the ground truth of a closed, secured loan, so a presence here confirms the bank is writing business, not just quoting it.

The short version: Civista Bank runs the larger CRE book. The right lender for any specific deal still depends on property type, sponsorship, and the current terms each is quoting — the table above and each bank's full profile carry the detail.