Jim Dobbs

New executives were lined up for lenders across the country, including Fremont Bank in California.

The KBW Nasdaq Bank Index was up 18% year to date through July, supporting expectations for more banks to use their shares as currency to take out competitors.

Despite the continuing trends of consolidation and limited startup activity, bankers and industry insiders say there is a path forward. But small lenders must evolve with changing technology.

The buyer said the all-stock deal to buy The First Bancshares would create a combined bank with $25 billion of assets.

The San Antonio-based bank is in the midst of a yearslong expansion effort spanning Houston, Dallas and Austin — all of which are fueling loan growth.

ChoiceOne Financial Services would pay about $180 million to acquire Fentura Financial in a bid to expand in Detroit's suburbs. The deal would create a bank with more than $4 billion of assets.

The $73.5 million all-stock deal, slated to close early in 2025, would create a bank with more than $3 billion of assets.

The Oklahoma-based bank also struck an upbeat tone on economic conditions and credit quality after it reported a sharp quarter-over-quarter increase in net income.

The Alabama-based bank also said that its outlook for net interest income is brightening. Several other regional banks have offered similarly upbeat guidance in recent days.

The Georgia-based bank recorded a $257 million hit after unloading a bundle of securities that it expects to redeploy into higher-yielding assets. It also forecast a resumption of loan growth in the second half of the year.