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Best CRE Lenders in Louisiana 2026: Commercial Real Estate Bank Lenders Ranked

BestCRE ranks Louisiana headquartered banks by total CRE loans, using FDIC data to compare portfolio size, loan mix, growth and concentration.

Quick answerBestCRE ranks Origin Bank first among Louisiana headquartered commercial real estate banks, with $3.8 billion in CRE loans, followed by b1BANK with $3.6 billion and Home Bank, N.A. with $1.7 billion. Investar Bank, N.A. ranks fourth with $1.4 billion, while Red River Bank ranks fifth with $1.1 billion. The ranking measures total commercial real estate loans reported in FDIC Call Reports as of June 30, 2026, rather than loan originations or Louisiana property exposure alone.

Louisiana headquartered banks reported $27.2 billion in total commercial real estate loans as of June 30, 2026, an increase of +5.7% year over year. The ranked table covers 25 banks holding $20.8 billion of that total. Origin Bank and b1BANK lead by a wide margin, with $3.8 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively. The top five account for 43.1% of CRE loans held by banks headquartered in the state. BestCRE ranks institutions by total CRE loans using FDIC Call Reports, schedule RC-C, while headquarters and local deposit information come from the FDIC Summary of Deposits 2026.

The ranking is a starting point for identifying banks with demonstrated commercial real estate exposure. A large CRE portfolio can indicate appetite and capacity to hold loans, but total size does not establish that a bank will finance a particular property or borrower. Portfolio mix, year over year growth, CRE share of total loans and investor CRE relative to equity provide additional context. The table focuses on banks headquartered in Louisiana. Institutions headquartered in other states may also be significant Louisiana lenders through local branches, but their Call Reports disclose CRE balances across all states rather than loans secured only by Louisiana properties.

Prime rate 7.00%SOFR 3.89%5 year Treasury 4.78%10 year Treasury 4.96%Fed funds 3.88%Benchmarks as of Oct 26, 2026

Louisiana banks ranked by total CRE loans

RankBankHeadquartersTotal CRE loans ($M)Construction and land ($M)Multifamily ($M)Owner occupied ($M)Change, 1 yearCRE share of loans
1Origin BankChoudrant, LA$3,823$623$568$1,049+8.2%47.3%
2b1BANKBaton Rouge, LA$3,614$693$262$1,147+12.7%54.2%
3Home Bank, N.A.Lafayette, LA$1,731$315$198$776+0.6%62.3%
4Investar Bank, N.A.Baton Rouge, LA$1,427$262$144$508+21.7%46.6%
5Red River BankAlexandria, LA$1,106$234$34.6$420+6.1%48.8%
6First Guaranty BankHammond, LA$975$99.0$85.8$269-33.5%55.2%
7Gulf Coast Bank and Trust CompanyNew Orleans, LA$947$236$88.5$294+21.9%33.6%
8Bonvenu Bank, N.A.Bossier City, LA$666$106$31.0$195-3.8%64.3%
9BOM BankNatchitoches, LA$627$115$22.8$258+14.4%51.8%
10Sabine State Bank and Trust CompanyMany, LA$576$119$44.6$216+4.6%52.4%
11Resource BankCovington, LA$544$174$24.4$118+2.6%65.6%
12JD BankJennings, LA$472$95.2$40.9$143+4.4%60.5%
13Synergy BankHouma, LA$441$138$27.5$153+17.9%50.3%
14The Evangeline Bank and Trust CompanyVille Platte, LA$422$123$38.2$160-0.8%45.4%
15First National Banker’s BankBaton Rouge, LA$398$59.2$47.2$75.7-7.0%73.1%
16Century Next BankRuston, LA$376$68.1$26.0$77.7+3.9%56.0%
17United Community BankRaceland, LA$361$105$12.9$79.1+3.1%70.0%
18First Federal Bank of LouisianaLake Charles, LA$325$70.9$25.2$119-5.5%50.7%
19First American Bank and TrustVacherie, LA$323$92.9$34.2$110+4.2%37.8%
20Metairie Bank & Trust CompanyMetairie, LA$312$33.1$28.3$71.6+13.3%61.4%
21Liberty Bank and Trust CompanyNew Orleans, LA$288$34.7$36.6$84.0+9.5%45.3%
22Community First BankNew Iberia, LA$277$71.5$8.6$15.3+10.0%51.4%
23FIDELITY BANKNew Orleans, LA$272$37.3$34.4$57.5+0.5%36.5%
24The First National Bank of JeaneretteJeanerette, LA$270$64.3$35.5$104+13.2%49.2%
25Louisiana National BankRuston, LA$268$64.3$18.8$85.9+9.0%63.8%

Source: FDIC Call Reports as of June 30, 2026 (schedule RC-C). Dollar figures in millions. Change, 1 year compares total CRE loans with June 30, 2025. Bank names link to each bank’s FDIC record. Table shows the top 25 of 104 banks headquartered in Louisiana.

Origin Bank and b1BANK form the leading group, with $3.8 billion and $3.6 billion in CRE loans. Their portfolios also show substantial owner occupied balances of $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion. Home Bank, N.A. follows with $1.7 billion and the highest CRE share among the first five, at 62.3%. Growth varies sharply. Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Company reported +21.9%, Investar Bank, N.A. reported +21.7%, and Synergy Bank reported +17.9%, while First Guaranty Bank reported -33.5%. Portfolio concentration also differs. FIDELITY BANK has an investor CRE to equity ratio of 0.88x, low relative to the table, while Louisiana National Bank reports 3.70x and Community First Bank reports 3.67x, both high relative to the other ranked banks. Those measures help distinguish portfolio scale from concentration.

Out of state banks with branches in Louisiana

BankHeadquarters stateBranches in LouisianaDeposits in Louisiana ($M)Total CRE loans, all states ($M)
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.Ohio99$23,178$179,847
Hancock Whitney BankMississippi97$17,030$9,315
Capital One, N.A.Virginia63$16,587$24,111
Regions BankAlabama79$8,425$16,257
First Horizon BankTennessee54$7,767$22,518
The Huntington National BankOhio24$2,086$37,932
BankPlusMississippi14$1,354$3,295
Renasant BankMississippi20$680$11,354
Planters Bank & Trust CompanyMississippi9$504$961
TownBridge BankMississippi8$440$391
United Mississippi BankMississippi3$59.1$189
Woodforest National BankTexas19$43.3$2,647

Source: FDIC Summary of Deposits 2026. Deposits and branches are for Louisiana only; CRE loans are bank wide.

Use portfolio size and growth to build a bank call list

Borrowers can use the ranking to identify banks with enough reported CRE exposure to merit a call. Total CRE loans indicate the size of each institution’s book and can provide context for appetite and hold capacity. Origin Bank reports $3.8 billion, while b1BANK reports $3.6 billion. Banks farther down the table may still fit a transaction, particularly when their portfolio mix aligns with the property type. A ranking is not a credit decision, and it does not show current pricing, available proceeds or whether a bank is actively quoting a particular request.

Year over year change helps identify institutions that are adding or reducing CRE balances. b1BANK grew +12.7%, BOM Bank grew +14.4%, and Metairie Bank & Trust Company grew +13.3%. First Federal Bank of Louisiana declined -5.5%, while First National Banker’s Bank declined -7.0%. Borrowers should use these changes as directional evidence, not as a promise of future lending. Bank credit is relationship driven and local, so a useful search considers property location, existing banking relationships and several institutions rather than relying on rank alone.

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Loan mix and concentration reveal where portfolios are most active

The component balances show meaningful differences in portfolio emphasis. Origin Bank reports $1.6 billion of investor nonfarm nonresidential loans, $1.0 billion of owner occupied loans, $623.2 million of construction and land loans, and $568.4 million of multifamily loans. At b1BANK, owner occupied loans total $1.1 billion and investor nonfarm nonresidential loans total $1.5 billion. Home Bank, N.A. reports $776.5 million of owner occupied loans, compared with $441.5 million of investor nonfarm nonresidential loans. These balances show where each reported portfolio is most active without establishing current underwriting preferences.

CRE share of total loans and investor CRE to equity provide different views of concentration. First National Banker’s Bank reports a 73.1% CRE share, United Community Bank reports 70.0%, and Resource Bank reports 65.6%. Investor CRE to equity is high relative to the table at Louisiana National Bank, with 3.70x, Community First Bank, with 3.67x, and Resource Bank, with 3.53x. A concentrated institution may be selective even when its CRE book is substantial. By comparison, FIDELITY BANK reports 0.88x, the lowest ratio in the ranked table. These figures describe balance sheet exposure, not approval standards.

Louisiana borrowers have bank and nonbank alternatives

Several banks headquartered elsewhere maintain meaningful Louisiana branch networks. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., headquartered in Ohio, has 99 branches and $23.2 billion of deposits in the state. Hancock Whitney Bank, headquartered in Mississippi, has 97 branches and $17.0 billion of Louisiana deposits. Capital One, N.A., headquartered in Virginia, has 63 branches and $16.6 billion, while Regions Bank has 79 branches and $8.4 billion. Their total CRE loans cover all states, so those balances are not directly comparable with Louisiana property lending.

Borrowers can also compare debt funds, life companies, CMBS, agency and SBA lenders. These sources do not appear in bank Call Reports and may evaluate transactions through different channels. Comparing several sources helps a borrower assess fit across property type, requested structure and lender category without treating portfolio size as a commitment to lend. Local banks may place greater weight on an established relationship, while an out of state institution may operate through a nearby branch. The ranked table therefore works best as one part of a broader lender search that includes both bank and nonbank alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Louisiana bank has the largest commercial real estate loan portfolio?

Origin Bank ranks first among banks headquartered in Louisiana, with $3.8 billion in total CRE loans as of June 30, 2026. Its reported portfolio includes $623.2 million in construction and land loans, $568.4 million in multifamily loans, $1.0 billion in owner occupied loans and $1.6 billion in investor nonfarm nonresidential loans. CRE accounts for 47.3% of its total loans, and its CRE balance increased +8.2% year over year. Origin Bank ranks 129 nationally by total CRE loans among the 4,167 banks covered.

How large is commercial real estate lending by Louisiana headquartered banks?

The 104 banks headquartered in Louisiana hold $27.2 billion in commercial real estate loans as of June 30, 2026. Their combined CRE balance increased +5.7% year over year. The 25 institutions in BestCRE’s ranked table account for $20.8 billion, including $4.0 billion in construction and land loans, $1.9 billion in multifamily loans, $6.6 billion in owner occupied loans and $8.3 billion in investor nonfarm nonresidential loans. The top five hold 43.1% of CRE loans reported by Louisiana headquartered banks.

Which Louisiana CRE bank reported the fastest year over year growth?

Among the ranked banks, Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Company reported the largest positive year over year change at +21.9%. Its total CRE portfolio was $947.1 million as of June 30, 2026, including $236.1 million in construction and land loans, $88.5 million in multifamily loans, $293.6 million in owner occupied loans and $328.8 million in investor nonfarm nonresidential loans. Investar Bank, N.A. was close behind at +21.7%, with a substantially larger total CRE portfolio of $1.4 billion.

What interest rate benchmarks matter when comparing CRE financing?

Common reference points included the Prime rate at 7.00%, SOFR at 3.89%, the 5 year Treasury at 4.78%, the 10 year Treasury at 4.96% and Fed funds at 3.88% as of Oct 26, 2026. These are market benchmarks, not quoted loan rates from the ranked banks. FDIC Call Reports do not disclose the pricing a bank may offer for a specific transaction. Borrowers need current proposals to compare actual borrowing costs, structures and lender fit because the ranking measures outstanding CRE balances rather than available terms.

How does Louisiana’s leading CRE bank compare nationally?

Origin Bank ranks 129 nationally with $3.8 billion in CRE loans, while b1BANK ranks 134 with $3.6 billion. Home Bank, N.A. ranks 261 with $1.7 billion, Investar Bank, N.A. ranks 308 with $1.4 billion, and Red River Bank ranks 393 with $1.1 billion. Nationally, the 4,167 banks covered hold $3.07 trillion in total CRE loans. A national rank shows relative portfolio scale across reporting banks, but it does not indicate how much of an institution’s lending is tied to Louisiana properties.

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BestCRE rankings are editorially independent and built only from public regulatory filings; no bank pays for placement. Call report figures describe loans held on each bank’s balance sheet and do not show loan terms, rates or current appetite. BestCRE is not a lender and does not make loans. Benchmark rates are informational, not quotes. See our Legal Disclaimer and Compensation Disclosure.

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PRIME 7.00%FED FUNDS 3.88%5-YR UST 4.84% ▲10-YR UST 5.00%SOFR 30D 3.90%Updated Oct 28, 2026
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