SPDR SERIES TRUST SPDR KBW REGIONAL BANK ETF (AMEX:KRE)

Regional banks are the only part of the US banking industry that is doing well. If you MUST invest in banks, invest in those making money and not linked to the EURO crisis.

http://www.sharpeinvestor.com/

Financials are going to be spinning it's wheels for 2011. Sitting on cash does not make it grow, and the banks are still afraid to lend (at least the smaller ones are). I'm pretty nuetral on banks in general, not a sell...but not a buy either. These are holds for now. The high dividends will offset stagnant capital gains.
-Brian

Trading below book value and "recovery" has lagged the recovery of the diversified banks. Will benefit from increasing net interest margins in the short-to-medium term and improving labor markets in the medium term.

perhaps it is time to respect regional banks again?

While the big banks are in turmoil the small, regional banks are steadily operating, making good business decisions, and positioning to profit as the economy turns the corner.

hello mfp

Regional banks are too beaten up. People are saving money at a greater rate, which puts more capital into these banks. This will stabilize them and allow them to grow as the economy rebounds. The KRE is the best way to capitalize on this without the risk of individual small banks.

Motley fund pick for small bankls

Banks are back! We can't do without them so the strong will survive to be even stronger while the weak will die off.

As a Motley Fool Pro selection, this ETF should do well. It's equal-weighted across 50 mid-cap regional banks, and the MF Pro staff concluded that the methodology of SPDR KBW Regional provided the best risk/reward scenario at a low cost ratio.

Smaller, regional banks are cheap right now, as much of the fallout from the current crisis has splattered on them. However, many are actually cash-strong, outside of the problem, and ready to take advantage of the improving market. The component banks look pretty clean right now.

CRE

These small and mid-sized banks won't get as much assistance from Uncle Sam as the big boys do (yes you Goldman, JPM, Citi and co)... and many will be swalled up whole

Over 1000 banks will dissapear in the next few years because of the housing bubble bursting, and the commercial real estate buble which is already tearing apart.

Big problems for these regional banks which are leveraged to the eyeballs on CRE.

bank failures to accelerate

Excluding the 19 biggest banks that underwent the stress test, banks with nonperforming loans above 5% had combined deposits of $193 billion, according to Bloomberg data.

Tracking regional banks.

regional banks are now relatively cheap

Regional banks are oversold and have been dragged down by the big boys. The truth is that smaller banks have nowhere near the exposure to subprime - their mortgage lending tends to be much more conservative. They deal with local people, and do their homework, instead of mashing together massive portfolios of trashy paper for "diversification."

Regional Bank ETF