(This is The Best Stocks in the Market , brought to you by Josh Brown and Sean Russo of Ritholtz Wealth Management.) Josh – When First Republic blew up in the summer of 2023, the news media made a big deal of the fact that JPMorgan ended up with the prize in a weekend acquisition that effectively ended the mini-panic in the regional banks. “The rich get richer”, they said. And they were sort of right. It’s been a great three years for the biggest banks in the XLF, all of which made new 52-week highs last week. It’s been a horrible three years for the smaller banks that comprise the S & P Regional Bank index. But what the media didn’t know was that, while JPMorgan was putting up its flag in all the former First Republic branches, Citizens Financial Group (CFG) had managed to snag dozens of the most crucial employees amid the wreckage. These were private bankers who wanted to bring their talents and their client relationships somewhere more enterprising. Here’s what CFG Chairman and CEO Bruce Van Saun said at last week’s Goldman Sachs Financial Services Conference: “JPMorgan got the whole business, but we got the talent, the Grade A people who put First Republic on the map and made them kind of noteworthy as the strongest premier private bank in the banking space. And so you win with great people. We took a big swing. We brought 150 people in 1 day in June of ’23 which wasn’t for the faint hearted because the environment was pretty choppy at that point. And basically, we said, look, we’re going to start this up. We think we can leverage the platforms we have, and we can get the service levels up to white glove, which is what First Republic was offering. And it’s been a great success. I’m really pleased with how that’s going. So we’re over $12 billion in deposits and tracking well towards $7 billion in loans and $10 billion in AUM. And we’ve expanded to now a head count of roughly 500.” That’s the spirit, Bruce! Way to be. The regionals have been on a tear over the past few months with many of them challenging old highs as we speak. Sean’s got three of them worth showing you which have recently made the Best Stocks in the Market list. We’re going to go back and forth on these names Snoop & Dre-style in just a moment. But first! Some of the stats we normally include each Monday. Sector leaderboard As of Dec. 15 , there are 193 names on The Best Stocks in the Market list. Top sector ranking: Top industries: Top 5 best stocks by relative strength: Sector spotlight: Regionals Sean – While the AI-trade unravels a bit post-ORCL earnings, a new trade is emerging. The Fed cut rates 25bps last week, further helping affordability in the beaten-down real estate sector. The Fed also announced the resumption of Treasury purchases. The Fed is now buying short-dated government bonds to help manage liquidity levels, starting around $40 billion in purchases per month of mainly Treasury bills (short-term debt). Powell notes this is solely for supporting control of their policy rate and the move has no implications on their stance about monetary policy. Following the press conference, financials, and more specifically, regional banks were bid up on this news. The State Street S & P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) hit its highest level in over year, breaking above its recent high of $66 from earlier this fall: You can see it’s been rough going for these smaller banks. In the past 5 years, the regionals have dealt with the highest levels of inflation and the fastest increase in rates in 40 years, which led to a mini banking crisis in 2023, only to see their biggest client base (small businesses) get run over by tariffs. As of October, regionals were underperforming their broader financial sector by 73% in total returns over the past 3 years, which was the most underperformance ever over rolling 3 year periods. The KRE has shown significant strength over the past month, during which we added several stocks to the list: Citizens Financial Group (CFG) , M & T Bank (MTB) and Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) . Citizens Financial provides a full suite of retail and commercial banking products, including deposits, loans, wealth management and small-business services. They focus on consumer and commercial banking segments serving individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies and institutions. Josh – You can’t see it on the chart above, but CFG is actually clearing congestion that dates back to January 2022, the last time this name traded in the high 50’s. It’s been a long, hard road back here but this time it looks for real. CFG is an A+ breakout. For the sake of conservatism, you can wait for a low-volume retest of the $53-$55 area or you can pull the trigger. I’d use $50 as a hard out, sit on the sidelines and let it set up again below that level. Sean – M & T Bank is a community-oriented regional bank that operates over 950 branches and offers retail banking, commercial lending, institutional services, wealth management and trust functions through its main subsidiary and Wilmington Trust. The bank emphasizes relationship banking and local economic development while balancing traditional credit and deposit services with fee-based wealth and institutional businesses. Josh – The trouble with focusing on just a one-year chart is that you might be missing something from the recent past that simply doesn’t make the frame. In the chart above, MTB looks like it’s finally gotten above overhead resistance and is ready to roll up. But I took it back further and I see a stock I can’t trust here: See what a difference that makes? Now you’re looking at a stock that peaked around $225 last Thanksgiving and still has work to do. I wouldn’t waste my ammo on this one just yet. We’ll give it a C or a C-minus. It’s on the Best Stocks list, but the technicals do not argue for an entry yet. Sean – Huntington provides consumer, commercial and wealth management services. The company increasingly diversifies beyond traditional lending into capital markets, advisory and fee-based services while serving a broad base of retail and business customers across the country. Josh – Huntington is an aggressive little regional bank out of Texas and they’ve been digesting a bunch of acquisitions during the bear market for the sector. They’re a better company than they were going into it. I think this one’s going to go. Below, I pull the lens back so you can see how monumental this challenge in the high teens is… That stiff $18 resistance level is all that stands between this name making a huge move. I would anticipate the breakout and take the risk early. Once it goes, you may not get a chance. On the one-year chart, RSI is in the mid-70’s and somewhat overbought, so if it pulls back for a bit I think it’s fine. A violation below the $15 level (the October / November low) and something’s wrong so that’s where my stop would go. Earnings are due before the open on Jan. 22, 2026. Happy investing! DISCLOSURES: (None) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. 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