major banks; leading banks
Refers to large, systemically important banks, typically in a financial or economic context.
The earnings reports of major banks are drawing attention.
The government asked the major banks for additional capital injections.
地銀 (regional banks) are smaller and operate primarily within a specific region, in contrast to the nationwide or global reach of 大手行.
Compound of 大手 (おおて, 'major, large-scale') and 行 (こう, 'bank' as a suffix).