Cambridge Trust Co. has been ranked among the nation’s top financial institutional brands, according to a recently released index.

The local institution is the only bank or credit union in the state to make the Bancography Brand Value Index. The company ranked 20th on the list of mid-sized banks with $500 million to $2 billion in assets, up substantially from its ranking of 48 last year.

Texas dominated the 2010 Bancography Brand Value Index (BBVI), as 15 institutions from that state rank in the top 10 across the four asset tiers in the ranking of brand strength.

Overall, the Southwest, the Midwest and the West place strongly in the rankings, with banks from those regions occupying 32 slots in the four top-10 rankings. That leaves just eight institutions representing the South, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Bancography, a financial services consulting firm, announced the findings in the release of its 2010 BBVI, a quantitative ranking of the brand strength of all U.S. banks, thrifts and credit unions. The index ranks financial institution brands by the premium they add to each institution’s underlying tangible value.

In calculating brand value, Bancography said it quantifies the proportion of each institution’s long-term value that is attributable to the intangible factors that constitute an institution’s brand. These factors include the institution’s reputation, service quality, image and market awareness. The brand value index identifies institutions that produce financial results beyond what their capital base, market conditions and competitive environments would predict. The calculations reward institutions that display consistently strong earnings and a reasonable cost of funds.

"The 2010 BBVI reflects the fluid financial services landscape as providers continue to confront the aftermath of the recession. Banks that pay homage to the pillars of sound brand strategy using clear differentiation and consistency of message reap the benefit at their competitors’ expense," said John Mathes, Bancography’s director of brand strategy. "It is abundantly clear that in the more stable geographic sections of the country, bank brands were able to stay on point with their customers by not dialing back effective dialogue and service."