West Bancorporation Inc. of West Des Moines and Meta Financial Group Inc. of Sioux Falls are among the top 25 publicly traded community banks in the country, according to investment advisory firm Sandler O’Neill + Partners LP.

The firm researched banks with a market capitalization of between $25 million and $2 billion, and listed the top banks and savings and loans in that group based on growth, profitability, credit quality and capital strength. 

West Bancorporation is the parent of West Bank. Meta Financial is the parent of MetaBank, which also has a presence in Greater Des Moines. This the first time either company has appeared on the list, which was first compiled eight years ago.