Mississippi's 106 insured banks had assets of $38 billion by September 2002. Seventy-eight of those banks were state-chartered.
By the end of 2001, median past-due loan levels peaked at 3.78% of total loans, especially in the manufacturing sector; they subsequently declined by the third quarter 2002. Median net interest margins (NIMs) (the difference between the lower rates offered to savers and the higher rates charged on loans) reached their highest level by September 2002 since August 2000, largely due the wide spread between short- and long-term interest rates. This improvement occurred among banks of various types and sizes, as well as in varied geographic locations.