"We are honored to be recognized, both regionally and nationally, on this prestigious list. National Penn has worked hard to become strong, clean and efficient and is gratified to be recognized for our efforts," said Scott V. Fainor, president and CEO.

National Penn retained the number 15 position on the Forbes 2013 list after achieving the ranking on the 2012 Best Banks list and rising from number 33 on the 2011 list.

The survey – conducted by Forbes with financial data provided by SNL Financial – gauges the health of the nation's biggest banks. Figures were based on regulatory filings of public banks and thrifts through the third quarter of 2012.

Banks included in the list range in asset size from $4.5 billion to $2.3 trillion in assets.