The Vancouver Sun reports in its Saturday edition banks continue their domination among the country's most valuable corporate brands, taking four of the five top spots on a Brand Finance survey. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Sun says this year's list ranks Royal Bank of Canada No. 1 for the second year in a row, with a brand value of $12.5-billion, up from just over $11-billion in 2014 (all figures U.S.). It was the biggest increase in brand value among all Canadian companies this year. Rival TD came in second, with a brand value of $11.1-billion, followed by Bell, a telco, with a brand value of $7.6-billion, Scotiabank at $7.03-billion and Bank of Montreal at $6.9-billion. Collectively, Canada's top-100 brands gained 4.2 per cent in value year-over-year. "Canadian brands are at a crossroads in 2015," said Edgar Baum at Brand Finance. "Many Canadian companies have not put enough investment behind brand, marketing and communications efforts to maintain the hearts and minds of their customers, be it consumers or other corporations. Consequently, Canadian brands are increasingly at risk from a diversifying international economy." Conveniently, this is the kind of consulting Brand Finance does.