It's been a tough year for the financial services industry. 

Higher interest rates have cut into banks' bottom lines. The unemployment rate has remained near historic lows, making it difficult to recruit and retain talent. And a banking crisis led to three of the four largest bank failures in U.S. history. 

But through it all, a select group managed to keep their employees extremely happy, engaged and on board with their culture and mission. 

Indeed, 90 banks made American Banker's Best Banks to Work For ranking this year. These institutions ranged in size from the 54-employee First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Pascagoula-Moss Point in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to SouthState in Winter Haven, Florida, whose head count topped more than 5,000. 

American Banker determines the ranking in collaboration with Best Companies Group. The ranking relies on two sources of intel. The first is a survey that employees at the applicants complete that measures different areas of workplace satisfaction, such as their views on overall engagement, training and development and work environment. The second part is a review of each applicants' policies and benefits. 

The leaders of the 90 institutions that made the list value a number of key workplace traits. Trust, transparency and leading by example were cited by some of the executives as a priority. Clear communication was also touted as essential as an employer of choice. Generous benefits, especially paid time off to volunteer, was also a common theme. And of course, a bit of fun was had at many of this year's winners.  

For instance, 93% of employees at the banks on 2023's list said that their employers' communications were frequent enough while 92% said that corporate communications were detailed enough. At the banks that applied but didn't make the cut, these figures were 84% and 83%. Eighty-nine percent of staff members at this year's winners said that their leaders were open to input. That was only 79% at the banks not on the ranking. Ninety-five percent of employees at banks on the ranking said they were satisfied overall with their employer, compared with 89% for those not on the list. 

Read on for more highlights from American Banker's 11th annual Best Banks to Work For. 

Note: Assets sizes are from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as of June 30. Employee head counts were provided by the banks.