United Community Ranks Among the Top 50 Best Banks to Work For, Marking 10 Consecutive Years on the List
GREENVILLE, S.C. —United Community has been named one of American Banker's Best Banks to Work For for the 10th consecutive year, recognizing the bank's longstanding commitment to creating a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow personally and professionally. Out of the 100 banks on the list, United Community was one of only four banks with more than $25 billion in assets to earn recognition, highlighting its ability to maintain a strong workplace culture as the organization continues to grow. The recognition is especially meaningful because it is driven by employee feedback, reflecting how team members feel about their experience working at United. United Community ranked 49th on the 2026 list, climbing a spot from last year. American Banker partners with Best Companies Group to identify financial institutions that excel at building positive, supportive workplaces through employee feedback and an evaluation of workplace policies and benefits.
“Our team members are the reason we've earned this recognition for 10 consecutive years,” said United Community Chairman and CEO Lynn Harton. “The way they support one another, build meaningful relationships, and shape our culture is what makes United such a special place to work. I’m proud that as we have grown and expanded across the Southeast, we've remained committed to the values and culture that help our team members thrive.” “This recognition reflects the commitment we’ve made to our team and the culture they’ve helped build,” said United Community Chief Human Resources Officer Holly Berry. “Our role is to make sure the culture our team members value is still there as we continue to grow. That means investing in our people, giving them opportunities to develop as leaders, and ensuring everyone at United feels a sense of belonging.” United's commitment to employee development is reflected in programs such as its Leadership Academy, which recently celebrated its 10th graduating class. The nine-month program provides emerging leaders with opportunities to strengthen their leadership skills, collaborate across the organization, and earn a mini-MBA certificate through Clemson University. Participants also work together to solve real business challenges, build lasting connections across the organization, and contribute ideas that help shape United Community's future.
"Earning a place on the Best Banks to Work For list for 10 consecutive years is a rare achievement, and it's even more notable for a bank of United Community's size," said American Banker's Editor in Chief Chana Schoenberger. "Keeping a culture that employees value through years of growth takes sustained commitment from leadership, and United's team members have made it clear that commitment shows.” American Banker determines the ranking in collaboration with Best Companies Group, based on a survey of employees measuring overall workplace satisfaction and a review of each bank's workplace policies and benefits. To qualify for consideration, banks must have at least 50 employees working in the United States and have been in business for a minimum of one year. Best Companies Group manages the registration and survey process and analyzes the data to determine the final rankings.
For more information about the Best Banks to Work For program, visit www.BestBankstoWorkFor.com.
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About United Community Banks, Inc.
United Community Banks, Inc. is the financial holding company for United Community Bank ("United Community"), a top-100 U.S. financial institution dedicated to building stronger communities and improving the financial health and well-being of its customers. United Community offers a full range of banking, mortgage, and wealth management services. As of September 30, 2026, United Community Banks, Inc. had $28.9 billion in assets and operated 202 offices across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It also manages a nationally recognized SBA lending franchise that extends its reach to businesses across the country. United Community is the most awarded bank in the Southeast for Retail Banking Customer Satisfaction by J.D. Power, with recognition in 12 of the last 17 years, more than any other bank in the region. American Banker has named it one of the "Best Banks to Work For" for ten consecutive years. In commercial banking, it earned multiple 2026 Greenwich Best Bank awards for Small Business Banking, and Forbes has consistently ranked it among the World's Best and America's Best Banks. Learn more at ucbi.com.
About American Banker
American Banker empowers banking professionals with unique analysis and insight into the ideas transforming their business and industry. Across its journalism, events, research and benchmarking, it helps drive the way forward through the complexity of business innovation, retail and commercial disruption, technology, regulation and reform. With a banking community 850k strong, American Banker’s content connects leaders online, in person and in print every day.
About Best Companies Group
Since 2004, Best Companies Group has specialized in identifying and recognizing great employers to work for. We are an independent research firm that ranks companies based on our established research methodology. Our surveys provide actionable, hard-to-obtain data that companies use to improve employee recruitment and retention.
