NEW YORK — CEO compensation at large and regional U.S. banks continued climbing in 2025, though at a slower pace than the prior year, with pay increasingly tied to performance, shareholder returns and strategic growth initiatives, according to a new analysis by Compensation Advisory Partners.
The analysis examined compensation disclosures for 54 bank CEOs and found total direct compensation — including salary, bonuses and long-term incentive awards — increased 12.5% in 2025 from the prior year. That marked continued growth, but at a slower rate than the 18% increase recorded for 2024.
Compensation Advisory Partners said median total CEO compensation among regional banks rose approximately 15% across asset categories, reversing declines and modest growth seen in earlier periods.
According to the analysis, most bank CEOs received raises.
Key Findings
An analysis by American Banker said key findings in the report include:
- CEO compensation increased at 50 of the 54 banks reviewed.
- The largest dollar increase went to Bill Demchak of PNC Financial Services Group, whose total compensation rose from $25 million in 2024 to $35 million in 2025 following the company’s acquisition of FirstBank.
- The largest percentage increase went to Curtis Myers of Fulton Financial Corporation, whose compensation increased 55% year over year to $5.03 million after the company announced and completed its acquisition of Blue Foundry Bancorp.
- Only four CEOs in the study received lower compensation in 2025 than in the prior year. The steepest decline was recorded by Stacy Kymes of BOK Financial, whose compensation fell 19% to $4.9 million.
