Equity BancShares
Equity Bancshares is a Wichita-based bank holding company for Equity Bank, operating 80+ branches across six Midwestern states. It provides commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgages, and wealth management to small-to-medium enterprises, individuals, and agricultural customers through a community bank model.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersWichita, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Equity BancShares does
Equity Bancshares, Inc. is a publicly traded bank holding company (NYSE: EQBK) headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, operating as the parent of its wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Equity Bank. As of Q1 2026, the company operated 80+ branch locations across six Midwestern states — Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, and Nebraska — with metropolitan offices in Wichita, Omaha, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and Tulsa. The company offers a full suite of banking services including commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, trust and wealth management, and treasury management services, delivered through a relationship-based community bank model targeting small-to-medium enterprises, individual consumers, and agricultural customers. The institution does not operate a proprietary technology platform, relying on standard core banking systems that are converted during M&A integrations.
The company's revenue model is anchored in net interest income — the spread between interest earned on loans and securities versus interest paid on deposits and borrowings — supplemented by transaction-based non-interest income. In Q1 2026, net interest income reached $73.7 million (+46.5% year-over-year), with non-interest income of $9.5 million derived from service charges, debit card fees, mortgage banking, and bank-owned life insurance, producing total quarterly revenue of $83.26 million. The funding model combines customer deposits (total deposits of $6.3 billion as of Q1 2026) with traditional borrowings, while capital return to public shareholders occurs through a quarterly cash dividend ($0.18 per share).
Growth has been overwhelmingly M&A driven, with 15 completed acquisitions since 2010 including the KansasLand Bancshares merger (July 2024, adding Kansas density to 37 branches and ~$5.3 billion in assets), the NBC Corp. merger announced in 2025 (~$900 million in assets), and the Frontier Holdings merger effective January 1, 2026 (entering Nebraska with seven branches and $1.4 billion in assets). As of Q1 2026, total assets stood at $7.7 billion with $5.4 billion in loans held for investment, reflecting approximately 40% balance sheet expansion year-over-year. Management is led by Chairman and CEO Brad Elliott and CFO Chris Navratil.
Equity BancShares firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Equity BancShares
- Legal name
- Equity Bancshares, Inc.
- Website
- https://investor.equitybank.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Equity Bancshares is a Wichita-based bank holding company for Equity Bank, operating 80+ branches across six Midwestern states. It provides commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgages, and wealth management to small-to-medium enterprises, individuals, and agricultural customers through a community bank model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Equity BancShares industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Banking
- NAICS
- Offices of Bank Holding Companies (551111), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- State Commercial Banks (6022)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings) (FSABAAAA)
Keywords
Where Equity BancShares is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wichita
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Equity BancShares business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Net Interest Income: Primary revenue driver from spread between interest earned on loans and securities versus interest paid on deposits and borrowings. Q1 2026 net interest income of $73.7 million, up 46.5% year-over-year.
- Non-Interest Income: Includes service charges and fees ($2.5M), debit card income ($3.1M), mortgage banking ($348K), increase in value of bank-owned life insurance ($1.4M), and other income sources ($2.2M). Total non-interest income of $9.5 million in Q1 2026.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Quarterly | Quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Equity BancShares product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Equity Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Equity Bank, providing a full range of financial solutions through 80+ community bank branches across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Its offerings include commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, trust and wealth management, and treasury management services, delivered with relationship-based community banking service.
Product overview
Equity Bancshares operates as a bank holding company with its primary operating subsidiary Equity Bank. The company offers a comprehensive suite of banking products and services including commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, trust and wealth management services, and treasury management services. Following the acquisition of Frontier Holdings in January 2026, the company expanded into Nebraska with seven additional locations, bringing its total footprint to six states with 80+ locations. The company's services are delivered through its community bank model providing relationship-based customer service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Commercial Loans Lending products for small and medium enterprises delivered through Equity Bank branches across six states, with relationship-based underwriting and service.
- Consumer Banking Personal banking accounts, deposit products, and consumer loans for individual customers across the Equity Bank branch network in six states.
- Mortgage Loans Residential mortgage loan products for home financing, including mortgage banking revenue of $348K reported in Q1 2026.
- Trust and Wealth Management Services Wealth management and trust services for individual and business customers seeking personalized investment, estate, and asset management solutions.
- Treasury Management Services Cash flow, deposit management, and treasury solutions for business customers to manage working capital and payment operations.
- Frontier Bank Nebraska-based banking brand and subsidiary acquired in the January 2026 merger, providing banking services across seven branches; branches were rebranded following the merger.
Quantifiable outcome
- Record Q1 2026 revenue with 37.37% year-over-year growth
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Equity BancShares
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Equity BancShares technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Equity BancShares partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Frontier Holdings, LLCcoreMerger completed January 1, 2026 marking entry into Nebraska with seven locations, expanding operations to six states. Added $1.4 billion in assets including $1.3 billion in loans and $1.1 billion in deposits. Consideration included $32.5 million cash and 2.22 million shares of common stock. 15th acquisition since 2010.
- NBC Corp.coreMerger announced in Q1 2025 expected to add approximately $900 million in assets upon close at end of Q2 2025.
- KansasLand Bancshares, Inc.coreAcquisition completed July 2024 expanding Equity's Kansas presence to 37 bank locations and approximately $5.3 billion in assets. KansasLand Bank operated two locations, establishing Equity as market leader in Gove County, Kansas.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Equity BancShares competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- QCR Holdings: QCR Holdings is a multi-bank holding company operating community banks across the Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska). It is highly comparable to Equity in size, footprint philosophy, and acquisition-driven community banking model.
- Great Southern Bancorp: Great Southern Bancorp operates a community bank headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, with branches across the Midwest and Plains states. Similar scale to Equity, comparable deposit-funded community banking model, and similar Plains/Midwest concentration.
- Simmons First National Corporation: Simmons First is an Arkansas-headquartered bank holding company with a multi-state community banking franchise across the South and Midwest. Highly comparable multi-state community bank that has grown aggressively through acquisitions.
- First Busey Corporation: First Busey is an Illinois-based bank holding company operating community banks across Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Florida, and Texas. Comparable in size, deposit-funded model, and community-banking focus.
- Veritex Holdings: Veritex Holdings (formed via the Heartland Financial USA merger) is a Texas-headquartered community bank holding company. Similar mid-size, M&A-active community banking model with comparable deposit and loan profile.
- Glacier Bancorp: Glacier Bancorp is a Montana-headquartered multi-state community bank holding company operating across the Western and Midwestern U.S. Notable as one of the most disciplined long-term serial acquirers of community banks, directly comparable to Equity's M&A strategy.
- Old Second Bancorp: Old Second Bancorp is an Illinois-based community bank holding company of comparable size. Similar relationship-driven community banking model in the Midwest with comparable loan mix and deposit base.
- Independent Bank Group: Independent Bank Group is a Texas-based community bank holding company of comparable size that has grown via acquisitions. Comparable deposit-funded model and relationship-banking positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Commerce Bancshares: Commerce Bancshares is a larger, established Missouri/Kansas City-based regional bank holding company. Directly overlaps Equity's core Kansas City and Missouri markets, but operates at materially greater scale across multiple states.
- UMB Financial Corporation: UMB Financial is a Kansas City-headquartered diversified bank holding company with significant presence in Equity's core Kansas and Missouri markets. Larger and more diversified (institutional banking, asset management), but competes in the same regional banking space.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Equity BancShares social profiles
Digital presenceEquity BancShares financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Equity BancShares leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Equity BancShares subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Equity BancShares funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Equity BancShares M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A5 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Equity BancShares
What does Equity BancShares do?
Equity Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Equity Bank, providing a full range of financial solutions through 80+ community bank branches across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Its offerings include commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, trust and wealth management, and treasury management services, delivered with relationship-based community banking service.
Is Equity BancShares a public or private company?
Equity BancShares is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Equity BancShares founded?
Equity BancShares was founded in 2002. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Equity BancShares based?
Equity BancShares is headquartered in Wichita, United States, in the North America region.
How does Equity BancShares make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Net Interest Income is the primary driver. The others are non-Interest Income.
Who are Equity BancShares's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are QCR Holdings, Great Southern Bancorp, Simmons First National Corporation, First Busey Corporation, Veritex Holdings, Glacier Bancorp, Old Second Bancorp and Independent Bank Group. Broad incumbents are Commerce Bancshares and UMB Financial Corporation.
Does Equity BancShares have an API?
No public API is recorded for Equity BancShares.
What industry is Equity BancShares in?
Equity BancShares's product category is Community Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAAAA, Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings). Its NAICS code is 551111 and its SIC code is 6022.