b BB&T, which has a large presence in the District of Columbia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, is one of the well-managed regional banks;  Deposits are growing at a healthy pace, he notes, and BB&T doesn’t have a large exposure in subprime mortgage loans.

c. SunTrust Banks, one of the largest bank holding companies in the Southeast, mainly in Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia, provides a wide range of services such as credit cards, mortgage banking, insurance, and brokerage and capital markets services.

Some analysts predict that with the recovery in the regional bank sector, consolidation may be the next catalyst for buying their shares, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as the likely acquirers. In the meantime, investors who stuck with the regionals are finally enjoying the fruits of their patience.