Alliance Bank vs Herring Bank

As of Q1 2026, Alliance Bank carries a larger commercial real estate loan book than Herring Bank, roughly 2.1× the size — $459.6M versus $222.8M. 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 Herring Bank is down 0.6%. 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 Herring Bank at 249%. 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 0% 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 Herring 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: Alliance Bank runs the larger CRE book, Herring Bank is the one still expanding. 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.