Consumer trust is a cornerstone of the financial services industry, but 18 years after the global financial crisis, customers are still wary. Research shows, however, that Americans' trust in the financial companies they do business with is gradually improving. Also, that customer trust has the potential to be a key enabler of industry change.
This is borne out in Investor's Business Daily's sixth annual report on the Most Trusted Financial Companies. Our independent customer survey shows that over the past three years, the highest IBD Trust Index score has risen from 85.3 in 2023 to 89.9 in 2025 (out of a possible 100) for the top company on the list. This year, that company is USAA — specifically, its credit card division.
USAA serves active military members, their families and veterans. It tops our list of the 30 most trusted financial companies for 2025. Divisions of USAA account for four of the top 10 spots on the list. And, USAA ranked highest on our lists in 2022 and 2023.
Financial Companies Where People Put Their Money And Trust
Americans have faced more challenges to their finances in 2025, including stubbornly high pricess and uncertainty over tariffs and interest rates. These have been offset by positive stock market performance, rising 401(k) balances and lower mortgage rates.
But which companies do consumers and investors trust with their hard-earned money? And if you're shopping for financial services, what do you need to know? Investor's Business Daily's Most Trusted Financial Companies special report aims to provide crucial information on trust, based on IBD's survey of the companies' own customers.
Consumers can see in this report how financial firms measure up to customer expectations on safety, service and quality of products. And how those firms measure up against each other.
Our 2025 list of the 30 Most Trusted Financial Companies draws on a customer survey that rated financial companies on the trust attributes most important to consumers. MarketWatch, a sister publication of IBD, is co-branding the report for a fourth year. Read the complete list of IBD's 30 Most Trusted Financial Companies for 2025.
Customers ranked USAA's credit card division as No. 1 on the list, followed by USAA's home insurance and auto insurance divisions in second and third place, respectively.
USAA customers lauded the company's customer service as "fantastic," and appreciated products and services to support family members.
Michael Moran, president of USAA Bank, told IBD, "We have a clear sense of mission: Ensure the financial security of our membership. That mission drives everything we do. We're proud of the trust we've built with our members by being there in the moments that matter as well as for their everyday needs."
Stocks To Buy And Watch: Top IPOs, Big And Small Caps, Growth Stocks
Financial Companies' Soundness Is Critical
The improvement in Americans' trust in financial companies may be reason for optimism, the American College of Financial Services says in its report on the State of Trust in Financial Services. Yet, "lingering trust issues remain among certain demographic groups. For example, those with low trust in financial services tend toward the older and younger ends of the age spectrum, including more women than men, are less educated, and have a lower household income. Many of these groups are those who would benefit most from the services the industry can provide."
It's no surprise, then, that in the 2025 IBD survey, customers declared financial soundness and security to be the most important attribute of the companies they trust. Quality of products and services offered was a close second. How well companies protected their privacy and security, along with ethics and values, also were of importance.
For IBD's list of the Most Trusted Financial Companies in 2025, we asked more than 6,200 survey participants about how they judged the key attributes of the companies they do business with.
The survey was conducted from May to July by IBD's polling partner, TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence.
There were again eight categories of companies in this year's survey: ETF/fund companies, online brokers, wealth managers, credit card companies, banks, and life, home and auto insurers.
Financial Companies Vie For Eight Trust Attributes
Our survey covered eight areas of trust. The attributes for the 2025 IBD Most Trusted Financial Companies survey were financial soundness, quality of products and services, ethical business practices, privacy and security, customer service, prices, sensitivity to customer needs, and confidence in company management.
The first phase of our survey was conducted in March and April. The purpose of that phase was to identify the trust characteristics, or attributes, that are most important to consumers.
Financially sound/secure received the highest weight (19%) in our study, topping our list of the most critical trust factors for financial companies. Quality of products/services took the second spot (17%), followed by the commitment to protecting the privacy and security of personal data (15%).
More than 90% of survey respondents said trust was "very important" in their relationships with financial firms.
Read Our Business Category Stories On The 2025 Most Trusted Financial Companies In Investing, Insurance, Credit Cards And Banking.
The second phase of the survey was conducted from May to July. Using the eight trust attributes arrived at in phase one, respondents evaluated the company they most often utilize in each of the eight business lines. (See details of our 2025 methodology.)
Our survey not only tallies the 30 most trusted financial companies, it also reveals the most-trusted in the eight categories of financial companies.
Schwab Tops Most-Trusted Investment Companies
A standout this year, Charles Schwab swept the investing group, ranking first among ETF/fund companies, online brokers and wealth managers. Schwab's investing divisions also took three of the top 10 places in the overall trust rankings.
"Trust is everything," Rick Wurster, president and CEO of Schwab, told IBD. "We strive to earn our clients' trust by putting them at the forefront of every decision we make and by treating them the way we would like to be treated. We are here for them when and where they need us."
Schwab, Fidelity Investments and Vanguard are among the perennial favorites in the wealth management categories of the survey. Fidelity topped the categories in 2024 and also scored a hat trick in 2023.
Fidelity's ETF/fund division, online brokerage, and wealth management division placed highly, not only among the investing categories, but also claimed three spots in the overall most-trusted list.
Other companies placing among the four most trusted in the investing categories include JPMorgan Funds, E-Trade and U.S. Bank (part of US Bancorp).
Banks Rise In Trust Index
Banks as a group are climbing in the IBD Trust Index. The group rose a step again this year, beating out insurers. But banks still lag investment and credit card companies.
Joining USAA on the list of the four most-trusted banks are Chime (a fintech company that partners with FDIC-insured banks); Capital One Bank, part of Capital One Financial; and Chase, owned by JPMorgan Chase.
Andy Navarrete, head of Global Enterprise Affairs at Capital One, told IBD, "Customers want more than just services. They're looking for great value, personalized guidance, compelling experiences, and simple tools that make managing money feel less intimidating and more empowering."
Most-Trusted Credit Card Companies
Among credit card companies, four stood out for customers in our 2025 survey.
They were USAA; American Express; Discover, which was acquired this year by Capital One Financial; and Chase.
USAA, American Express and Discover also were the top three credit card companies in the 2024 Most Trusted Financial Companies special report.
The Top 10 On Our Most-Trusted List
Financial services firms have faced both internal and external challenges garnering the trust of their customers. Those that focus on the attributes in our 2025 survey, especially financial soundness and quality products, should be recognized for their successes.
These companies' divisions round out the top 10, ranked according to their IBD Trust Index score.
- USAA, credit cards
- USAA, home insurance
- USAA, auto insurance
- Schwab, ETF/fund companies
- Fidelity, ETF/fund companies
- USAA, banks
- Vanguard, ETF/fund companies
- Schwab, online brokers
- Schwab, wealth management
- Vanguard, online brokers
The total number of respondents for the 2025 Most Trusted Financial Companies survey was 6,263 for both phases. The phase 2 survey had 5,829 respondents, 617 of whom came from the IBD website or email invitations. Some 1,184 came from the WSJ Opinion Leaders Panel, and 4,028 from TechnoMetrica's network of panel partners.
For all categories, we required at least 125 respondents to rate a company for it to be included in our ranking.
IBD's special reports are objective and data-based. This independent special report is produced by the IBD editorial team. There is no sponsored content, nor are there any commission links. A company cannot apply to get on this list, and there are no fees.
The Most Trusted Financial Companies logo and accolades are available for licensing through Investor's Business Daily's partner, The YGS Group, by email at IBDlicensing@theygsgroup.com or at 800-290-5460.
