Bank of the Ozarks: 2012 vs. 2017

It's no secret that Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK) is charting a risky course by financing speculative commercial real estate projects in most major metropolitan areas across the country. Yet analysts give the bank a pass -- a get-out-of-jail free card.

They cite its net charge-off ratio, which has come in below the industry average every year since the bank went public in 1997. They also cite its performance through the financial crisis, which was similarly stellar.

But while both points are true, they shouldn't be given much evidentiary value by analysts and investors today. That's because they refer to what Bank of the Ozarks used to be, not what it is right now.

Source: Fool.com