Stephanie Link: Regional Bank Stock Is My Latest Pick

Regional Bank, Southwest Bancorp (OKSB), is Stephanie Link’s feature stock on her blog this week, Link on TheStreet. Financials are frequently featured on Link on TheStreet as there is underlying improvement in the economy which could lead to higher interest rates. Link tells TheStreet’s Jill Malandrino Southwest Bancorp, a small-cap regional bank with 22 branches in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, has turned around since the financial crisis with new management and new customer focus toward more commercial and industrial lending, particularly in the health care and energy verticals. Second quarter results included impressive loan growth in the Oklahoma and Texas markets, not surprising given the strong employment trends in the region. Link believes the regional and loan growth story, along with capital generation, makes this stock one to watch.