Jim Dobbs

Farmers and the bankers who lend to them are increasingly concerned that rising costs will hasten a recession and hamper credit quality in 2023.

Highly acquisitive banks that pack on assets without sacrificing employee morale pepper American Banker's annual Best Banks to Work For rankings.

The Seattle bank's all-stock deal for Luther Burbank Corp. is expected to close as soon as the second quarter of 2023.

Savanna-Thomson State Bank in Illinois has agreed to buy Fidelity Bank in Iowa and says it expects to complete the acquisition early next year.

The $186 million deal, announced in November 2021, was originally expected to close in the first half of this year. "The environment for M&A is just more challenging," an OceanFirst executive says.

David DePillo stepped down not long after the company said it would tap the brakes on loan growth and focus on lagging deposit gathering.

The Dallas company says it could repurchase as much as 8% of its common stock and still have the wherewithal to pursue an acquisition — all in an effort to strengthen its value in the eyes of investors.

The state's largest banks posted solid third-quarter loan growth and earnings. But Hawaii's tourism-heavy economy is vulnerable to lofty inflation and the threat of a downturn.

Six years after buying a bank, the New York company plans to sell its banking unit to a group of investors. The decision to refocus on its core businesses comes 18 months after Thasunda Brown Duckett took the reins as CEO.

The shift in refi behavior — in the wake of multiple Federal Reserve interest rate hikes — helped fuel a loan growth trend that's expected to continue through year-end.

Republic Bancorp said it would pay $51 million in cash for CBank and its subsidiary Commercial Industrial Finance.

Strong commodity prices and jumps in energy production fuel the Oklahoma bank's upbeat outlook for continued loan demand, despite inflationary pressures and high interest rates.

The all-stock acquisition of Limestone Bancorp in Louisville would give the buyer an additional $1.5 billion of assets and 20 branches in the Bluegrass State.

Paydowns at the Arkansas bank, which specializes in commercial real estate lending, fell by $1 billion from the prior quarter as refinancing activity slowed amid soaring interest rates. The result was stronger loan growth.

Bank of Princeton in New Jersey said it would pay $25 million in cash to acquire Noah Bank, whose former CEO was convicted on charges that included bank bribery and theft.

Citizens Financial said it would pay $67.4 million to buy HV Bancorp, the holding company for Huntingdon Valley Bank, in a bid to expand in Greater Philadelphia.

The parent of City National Bank of West Virginia said it would pay $61 million in stock to acquire Citizens Commerce Bancshares.

The Pittsburgh company's finance chief expects more gains in interest income, though he conceded rising deposit costs could curb the pace of advances.

There were 37 deals announced in the third quarter, well below the 64 announced in the same period of 2021, according to a Raymond James analysis. Uncertainty over the November election is just the latest factor slowing mergers and acquisitions.

Prosperity will pay $341.6 million for First Bancshares of Texas and $228.7 million for Lone Star State Bancshares. Both deals are slated to close early next year.