Financial stocks we love

Though Canada may not feel so foreign to those living in the United States, Royal Bank of Canada's minimal exposure to subprime lending compared to most U.S. banks helped the company through the recent mortgage meltdown.

And like many other Canadian banks, it has superior dividend growth. The company's dividend yield currently stands at 4.1%. And the company said it is curtailing its housing footprint outside Canada, so it should only continue to grow strongly in the future.

"RBC's quality of earnings and quantity of capital in relation to the yield on its stock is extremely high in comparison to other investments," said Desjardins Securities analyst Michael Goldberg.

Goldberg said RBC is the leading franchise bank in Canada, with an exceptionally strong wealth management business. And even though its franchises in the U.S. that also operate under the RBC name are struggling some, the bank as a whole is in good shape to grow in the future.

NEXT: Aflac Inc.