Jim Dobbs

The cash and stock deal, which is expected to close early next year, would nearly triple the number of branches Mississippi-based BancPlus has in the greater New Orleans area.

Failures and forced consolidation among smaller institutions could accelerate in 2022 and 2023 once the federal stimulus programs that have propped up the economy run their course, experts predict.

The midsize regional has long wanted to be a player in VC banking. Its deal for the U.S. arm of Israel's Bank Leumi would give Valley global scale in this lucrative line of business.

Its deal for the unaffiliated but similarly mission-focused Amalgamated Bank of Chicago would create a $7.6 billion-asset institution serving unions, nonprofits and organizations that support environmental sustainability and social enterprises.

The Dallas-based bank holding company said it would pay $62.5 million in cash to buy the privately held North Avenue Capital, the top lender in the USDA's Business & Industry program.

The $12.3 billion-asset Boston bank set an ambitious three-year target for mortgages and small-business loans in low-income areas. It's a major part of a $5 billion commitment to financial inclusion and clean energy.

The all-stock acquisition of South Dakota-based Great Western would create a regional bank with $32 billion of assets and more than 300 branches in 14 states.

The $6.2-billion asset bank said President Logan Pichel will add the title of CEO on Oct. 1, succeeding Steve Trager.

The deal to buy Happy Bancshares enables Arkansas-based Home to expand into Dallas and Austin and could provide a springboard for more acquisitions in the Lone Star State.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency says the $963 million-asset bank has met expectations for improving board oversight and strengthening auditing of its loan-loss allowance.