BankUnited

BankUnited, N.A. is a regional commercial bank that serves businesses and consumers across Florida and a select group of high-growth markets along the East Coast and in Texas. The bank offers everyday retail banking alongside relationship-focused commercial services, including deposits, treasury management, commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate financing, residential mortgages, and other consumer banking products. These services are delivered through a mix of full-service branches, commercial banking offices, and digital channels.

The company’s current form dates to 2009, when a group of investors recapitalized a failed predecessor institution and relaunched BankUnited as a new bank headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida. Two years later, in 2011, BankUnited, Inc. completed an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BKU, giving the institution fresh capital to broaden its branch network and build out commercial banking capabilities. That early move into the public markets marked a turning point, shifting BankUnited from a Florida-focused turnaround story into a scalable regional platform.

Since then, BankUnited has steadily pushed beyond its original South Florida footprint. Over roughly the last five years, the bank has put particular emphasis on adding seasoned commercial bankers and full teams in markets that fit its middle-market and commercial real estate strategy. Rather than relying on large branch buildouts, it has grown through office-led expansion into cities such as New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Jacksonville, while also deepening its presence in Orlando, Tampa, and the broader New York metropolitan area. This approach has allowed the bank to follow clients and talent into high-growth Sun Belt and East Coast corridors without creating an oversized physical branch network.

As of December 2024, BankUnited operates approximately 64 branches, primarily in Florida, supported by a smaller group of non-branch commercial and loan production offices in other states. The retail footprint tends to favor visible, easily accessible space in suburban and urban commercial corridors, often in grocery-anchored centers, mixed-use projects, and other settings that support full-service banking and small-business activity. Office locations for commercial and corporate banking teams are typically housed in multi-tenant office buildings in key business districts.

In recent years, the bank has focused on disciplined, relationship-driven growth. Management commentary has highlighted careful loan growth, a strong focus on commercial and industrial and commercial real estate clients, and selective expansion of commercial teams in priority markets such as Florida, the New York metropolitan area, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Jacksonville. At the same time, BankUnited has invested in treasury management, online and mobile banking, and specialized lines like equipment finance and franchise lending that depend more on experienced relationship bankers than on dense branch coverage.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, BankUnited represents a stable, publicly traded regional institution with meaningful scale in Florida and a growing commercial presence in several of the country’s most dynamic metro areas. Its mix of traditional branches and office-based commercial operations allows it to anchor street-level bank space in neighborhood and community centers, while also serving as a long-term office tenant in multi-tenant buildings. The combination of a concentrated Florida retail network, measured expansion into high-growth markets, and a balance sheet shaped by commercial clients positions BankUnited as a credible banking and office tenant for new sites, relocations, and build-to-suit projects across its footprint.