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Half of the companies held on to their respective positions within the banking industry, while the other half is split almost evenly between improvers and decliners.

Looking at the database-wide numbers tells a more disconcerting tale. Over 75 percent of the companies lost Brand Power over the course of 2009.

Citizens Financial is the only company to retain its rank, both within the banking industry, and within the database itself. A rare accomplishment, which could be partly attributed to their aggressive restructuring through 2008 and 2009.

Fifth Third managed to climb 20 ranks within the database, closing the gap with SunTrust, which dropped 21 ranks over 2009. If the trend continues, Fifth Third could surpass SunTrust in Brand Power during the course of 2010.

Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase swapped places for 1st and 2nd rank within the industry. A closer look at the database shows the top 4 companies dropped in Brand Power. JPMorgan lost 26 ranks within the database — a solid blow, which will take perseverance to recuperate.

Wachovia and Wells Fargo swapped places, with Wachovia coming out the winner in Brand Power. What this means for both companies in 2010 is still yet to be seen.

It’s possible that Wells Fargo’s efforts in incorporating Wachovia into their operations worked too well. It may be time for Wells Fargo to start focusing on representing their brand, as the parent brand, lest Wachovia maintain the spotlight indefinitely.

BB&T Corporation managed to jump 3 ranks within the industry, and a stunning 35 ranks within the database. Whether they can maintain that momentum is still to be determined, but it shows hope that other companies could also work towards growth again.

PNC Financial dropped 2 ranks within the industry, and plummeted 145 ranks within the database. A devastating drop within a single year.

The banking industry remains below the CoreBrand 500, but is showing signs of normalization. Just 1.69% below the CoreBrand 500, the banking industry is closing the gap. They’re now the closest to the CoreBrand 500 they’ve been since 2002.

This growth is after a 2 year industry decline. It is also during a 4 year decline amongst the 500, which has only just now started to recover, with a 0.04% growth in 2009.

The average firm in the banking industry has a $2.02 billion corporate brand equity advantage over the CoreBrand 500. Despite all the hard times and financial troubles, the industry still manages to hold on to a high dollar value premium.

The banking industry has begun to recover with an average of $280 million growth in brand equity value in 2009. This follows a 2 year decline in the industry and is improving more aggressively than the CoreBrand 500 average.

The average firm in the banking industry has a $2.02 billion corporate brand equity advantage over the CoreBrand 500. Despite all the hard times and financial troubles, the industry still manages to hold on to a high dollar value premium.

The CoreBrand Database

We track 800 of the world’s best corporate brands and maintain the largest continuous brand benchmark tracking system.

•Each year we conduct 8,000 telephone interviews among business leaders to measure their perceptions of some of the world’s best corporate brands.

• Respondents are business decision-makers from the top 20% of U.S. businesses.

•This senior business audience (VP level and above) represents the investment community, potential business partners, and business customers across 49 key industries.

•400 respondents rate each company per year

•800 companies are measured each year

•We collect financial performance data and communications investment information to understand the support behind and impact of these brands.

Brand Power Measurement

Our Brand Power score provides a single measure of the size of a company’s audience and its disposition towards the company.

•Respondents are first asked to rate their familiarity with a series of companies. Scores are a weighted average of the top three responses.

• Respondents who have a qualified level of familiarity are then asked to rate their favorability of those companies across 3 dimensions.

Overall Reputation, Perception of Management and Investment Potential attributes provide insight to the source of favorable/unfavorable impressions.

•Scores are a weighted average of the top three responses to create a measure of favorability.

Familiarity and favorability data are combined to create Brand Power, a single measure of the size and quality of a corporate brand.