In Brief: Mergers Curb Profits of Missouri State Banks

The loan portfolios of Missouri state-charted banks mushroomed last year, apparently because of branch purchases and customer runoff from national banks, but merger costs sent profits lower.

Net income of the state banks-there were 368 at yearend-was off 6.7%, according to the state Division of Finance, though loan portfolios grew 22.2% and deposits 3.1%.

When absorbing merger costs "your earnings are going to take some dips," said Camden R. Fine, president of Midwest Independent Bank, Jefferson City, the state's bankers' bank.

Also hurting profits last year was the creation of eight new state banks, all of which were operating in the red, said Mr. Fine, whose own bank offers correspondent services to 290 independent Missouri banks.

Without a lot of new deals in the first half of 1998, he said, profits of the state-chartered banks will probably rise.

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