With headlines of economic downturn, health care reform, and decreased reimbursements, many physicians are asking the questions, “Is My Money Safe?” “Should I Change Banks?”The first step to take in answering these questions would be to determine your bank’s rating. To help educate the average depositor, we researched the methodology behind bank ratings. Bauer Financial is a nationally recognized independent bank rating firm. The information that Bauer uses to rate banks is obtained from an approximately 30 page report that each bank is required to file quarterly with government regulators. No bank with assets greater than $1.5 million can be excluded from this rating process nor does a bank pay to be rated or for the rating that it receives.There are a number of factors considered in the rating process including:Capital ratio;Number and value of delinquent loans;Number and value of charge offs;Repossessed assets;Profit/(loss) trends;Value of investment portfolio;Regulatory supervisory agreements;Community reinvestment rating;Historical...