Jackie Stewart is the executive editor of American Banker Magazine. Previously, she covered breaking news, community banks and mergers and acquisitions for American Banker before being named as the managing editor of the Credit Union Journal. After graduating from Northwestern University in 2006, Jackie taught for two years in the Bronx, N.Y., through Teach for America.
The region is responsible for a third of all bank sellers — and more than half of the industry's overall deal volume.
Sellers may shy away from partnering with banks that rely too heavily on one individual for their success, so buyers must show they are ready to handle unexpected departures or illnesses involving key personnel.
Its agreement to sell two branches to another Louisiana bank is part of a broader plan by MidSouth's new CEO to eliminate seven branches.
Rob Kunisch will succeed Jack Steil as CEO of 1st Mariner Bank, which has been seeking to right itself after years of difficulties.
While overall activity remains slow, sellers — particularly those flush with core deposits — are fetching premiums not seen in years.
Seeking to stay below $50 billion, the regional is selling its origination and servicing businesses.
The Canadian bank twice sweetened its bid for PrivateBancorp, raising the stakes. Now it must gain traction in the hypercompetitive Chicago market while hunting for more acquisitions.
One of the biggest challenges after a merger is deciding which people to keep and which to let go. Learning to identify certain habits and skills could simplify those decisions.
Chemical Financial was caught off guard by CEO David Ramaker's decision to retire. Fortunately, Chemical had retained Talmer Bancorp CEO David Provost after buying his bank a year earlier.
With interest in these cross-industry deals growing, the CU credited with the first whole-bank acquisition is launching a CUSO to facilitate the process.