Differences in bank profitability levels can be attributed to bank features, industry characteristics and
contextual properties. Thus, empirical researches on determinants of bank profitability usually contain
various bank and banking sector specific variables and some macroeconomic indicators (e.g. inflation,
interest rates, and GDP growth). This paper aims to identify microeconomic factors that distinguish
profitable from non-profitable banks as well as above and below average bank profitability. In the
empirical evidence that follows macroeconomic variables are omitted due to sample attributes i.e.
macroeconomic conditions are criterion for sample selection. This is why empirical findings on
macroeconomic impact on bank profitability are not discussed herein. The basic rationale that lies
behind this methodological approach is not only related to discriminant analysis conditions, rather
summarized in the fact that sound bank managers can achieve profit persistence in disrupted economy
as well as incompetent bank managers may destroy the best bank in a time of prosperity (Prga, 2002,
p. 497). In short, internal features are of the first class importance for bank profitability. However, it is
beyond the scope of this paper to discuss each area relevant for bank profitability due to numerous
hypotheses which could be tackled and a rich body of literature already being synthesized by e.g.
Athanasoglou, Delis and Staikouras (2006), Košak and Čok (2008) and Kundid, Škrabić and
Ercegovac (2011). Reasonable loan growth, stable deposit financing, cost management efficiency,
credit rationing in practice, business diversification, lower bankruptcy and refinancing costs as a
consequence of higher equity to assets ratio are strongholds of bank profitability.