Cramer's 'Stop Trading!': The Next Banking Colossus

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The new banking colossus could be Banco Bilbao Vizcaya(BBV Quote), said Jim Cramer on Thursday's "Stop Trading!" segment on CNBC.

Previously, he's pointed to First Niagara(FNFG Quote) and BB&T(BBT Quote) as potential banking giants. He added the Spanish Banco Bilbao to his list because it's "one of the best-run banks in the world," Cramer said. Cramer said it can go higher because it's at about $16 now and was at $23 "back in the spring of last year, before it really emerged as being a very strong bank."

Cramer called the government's appliance rebate program "Cash for Dishwashers" and noted that Whirlpool(WHR Quote) was up on the news whereas Sears(SHLD Quote) "was doing poorly."

But maybe Sears "is not such a bad bet," said Cramer, since its Kenmore product line is made by Whirlpool. "How about the people who sell Whirlpool?" he asked. "I think they should be up too."

Finally, Cramer addressed Goldman Sachs' upgrade of Google(GOOG Quote) to the firm's conviction buy list. "I went through that with a fine-toothed comb," he said, and he noticed that Goldman was recommending Google on "multiple expansion. "Multiple expansion is never a good reason to recommend a stock," Cramer said.

-- Written by Rebecca Corvino in New York.