American Bankers Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521001304
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, United States
- Phone
- 1-800-BANKERS
- Rating confidence
- Limited
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $176,137,760
- Expenses
- $168,926,469
- Assets
- $958,402,157
- Liabilities
- $194,173,251
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
37 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT S NICHOLS (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
- JESS SHARP (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERT S NICHOLS (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $4,239,352 total reported compensation
- NAOMI CAMPER (CHIEF POLICY OFFICER): $1,067,342 total reported compensation
- JESS SHARP (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT): $788,909 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
See schedule othe aba's mission is to be a member-focused organization that provides advocacy, education, business solutions, and forums for an exchange of views and information that assists our members in providing financial services to their communities in compliance with the complex and challenging regulatory and statutory environment that governs their operations.
What it reported doing in 2024
Convention, conferences, schools, professional certifications and remote learning opportunities: the financial services industry is a highly regulated industry that requires constant education on the changing rules including new or enhanced regulation, supervision and oversight. Aba offers opportunities for gaining insight and greater understanding through in-person and virtual meetings, onsite schools, certifications and at-the-desk offerings including webinars and internet classes.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 86% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
The verdict
- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 98
- Sustainability: 59
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: Limited
- Program expense ratio: Limited
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 91.6%; rating input score 92; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 96%; rating input score 96; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.67; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.5%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
- Governance: 24 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments
- Leadership: top reported pay $4.2M · 37 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $16.6M reported
- Consistency: 12 of 13 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 30 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 27 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.