5 Best Bank Stocks To Own For 2014

Business development companies -- or BDCs -- will be marching in the earnings season parade next week.

Several of the high-yielding entities will be reporting next week, and income investors hungry for meaty payouts have been flocking to these top dividend stocks.

What makes BDCs so attractive? Well, let's start with the model. The typical BDC will provide financing to small- and medium-sized businesses that often can't line up conventional funding through major commercial banks. In return for taking on the risk, BDCs can ask for reasonably high interest payments and even some equity exposure. As long as they divvy up at least 90% of their interest income among their investors, there's no double taxation.

Risk is mitigated via diversification, but default rates are surprisingly low. A recent Barron's article claims that the annual loan-loss rate for BDCs is just 0.7%.

Here are some of the BDCs reporting next week.

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Latest Quarter

5 Best Airline Stocks For 2015: State Bank of India (SBIN)

State Bank of India (SBI) is an India-based commercial bank. Its primary banks include Treasury, Corporate / Wholesale Banking, Retail Banking and Other Banking business. The Treasury Segment includes the entire investment portfolio and trading in foreign exchange contracts and derivative contracts. The Corporate / Wholesale Banking segment comprises the lending activities of Corporate Accounts Group, Mid Corporate Accounts Group and Stressed Assets Management Group. These include providing loans and transaction services to corporate and institutional clients and further include non-treasury operations of foreign offices. The Retail Banking Segment consists of branches in National Banking Group, which primarily includes Personal Banking activities, including lending activities to corporate customers having banking relations with branches in the National Banking Group. This segment also includes agency business and automated teller machines (ATMs). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Calev Ben-David]

  Credit-default swaps for the State Bank of India (SBIN), a proxy for the sovereign, have risen by almost two thirds since May 22, while the rupee slid about 10 percent. In Turkey, swaps jumped by about half, and the currency dropped about 6 percent.

• [By Lyubov Pronina]

  India�� S&P BSE Sensex Index dropped 4 percent in Mumbai as State Bank of India (SBIN) tumbled to the lowest level in four years. ICICI Bank Ltd. slumped 5.2 percent. The rupee touched an unprecedented 62.0050 per dollar today before closing 0.3 percent weaker from Aug. 14 at 61.6550 in Mumbai, according to prices from local banks compiled by Bloomberg.

5 Best Bank Stocks To Own For 2014: FirstMerit Corporation(FMER)

FirstMerit Corporation operates as the bank holding company for FirstMerit Bank, N.A. that provides a range of banking, fiduciary, financial, insurance, and investment services to corporate, institutional, and individual customers in northern and central Ohio, and western Pennsylvania. The company?s commercial business offers commercial term loans, revolving credit arrangements, asset-based lending, leasing, commercial mortgages, real estate construction lending, letters of credit, cash management services, and other depository products. Its retail business provides various financial products and services, including consumer direct and indirect installment loans, debit and credit cards, debit gift cards, residential mortgage loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, fixed and variable annuities, and ATM network services, as well as deposit products comprising checking, savings, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company?s wealth business provides a sset management, private banking, financial planning, estate settlement and administration, and credit and deposit products and services. FirstMerit Corporation also offers trust and investment services, including personal trust and planning, and investment management; retirement plan services; retail mutual funds, other securities, variable and fixed annuities, personal disability and life insurance products, and brokerage services; and private banking services, including credit, deposit, and asset management solutions. As of December 31, 2009, it operated a network of 160 full service banking offices and 182 ATMs. The company was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The year ahead should be a great one for the smaller bank stocks. Larger regionals like Huntington Bancorp (HBAN) and Capital Ban Financial (CBF) have made it clear they intend to grow by acquisition in the years ahead. Banks like First Merit (FMER) and First Merchants (FRME) have done deals in the past year and are open to doing more to increase their market share and footprints. This should be the year the floodgates open and we see the first wave of merger activity in small banks.

5 Best Bank Stocks To Own For 2014: Deutsche Bank AG (LBND)

Deutsche Bank AG is a global investment bank. The Company offers a variety of investment, financial and related products and services to private individuals, corporate entities and institutional clients around the world. The Company operates through such divisions as: Private and Business Clients, Asset and Wealth Management, Corporate Banking and Securities, Global Transaction Banking and Non-Core Operations Unit. Deutsche Bank AG is active domestically and in various countries, through the network of numerous branches. In February 2014, the Company and its related bodies corporate ceases to a share holder in the capital of the Company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Donald van Deventer]

  Long-duration Treasury Exchange-Traded Funds: (TLH), , (IEF), (DTYL), (DLBL), (ILTB), (TENZ), (ITE), (TLO), (EDV), (VGIT), (VGLT), (TMF), (TYD), (LBND), (UBT), (UST), (TMV), (TYO), (DSTJ), (DSXJ), (SBND), (PST), (DTYS), (DLBS), (TBF), (TTT), (TYNS), (TYBS), (TBX).

5 Best Bank Stocks To Own For 2014: Orange County Business Bank (OCBB)

Orange County Business Bank is Orange County's elite full-service commercial bank. The Company is a capitalized bank in Southern California.

The Company is serving the needs of businesses and professionals throughout Orange County. It offers relationship banking services for locally owned and operated businesses, professional practices, and commercial/industrial companies in Orange County and adjacent markets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, OCBB remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.15 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 2:07PM EDT August 1, 2013).

  Orange County Business Bank previously reported financial results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2013.

  The Bank�� net income for the three months ended June 30, 2013 was $204 thousand versus a net loss of $47 thousand for the same period in 2012. The Bank reported net income for the first six months of 2013 of $649 thousand versus a net loss of $126 thousand for the same period in 2012.

  The Bank�� net interest income for the three months ended June 30, 2013 was $1.4 million versus $1.1 million a year ago. The difference of $300 thousand in net interest income was primarily driven by an increase in the total loans outstanding. Net interest income for the six months ended June 30, 2013 was $2.6 million versus $2.4 million for the same period in 2012. The difference of $200 thousand was due to an increase in the total loans outstanding. The Bank continues to aggressively push into established and successful markets to develop profitable relationships. This push has resulted in the growth of loans, deposits and net interest income