Jim Dobbs

The Oklahoma-based regional bank expects 6%-7% loan growth in the year ahead. Executives are also projecting that net interest income will start to improve after the metric hits a trough early this year.

The Indiana bank is "on offense by continuing to invest in new client-facing and key support talent and being ready and opportunistic for acquisitions," CEO Jim Ryan says.

The Alabama bank's executives said commercial borrowers remain cautious amid high rates and economic uncertainty. During the fourth quarter, flat lending and higher deposit costs weighed down the company's net interest income.

Fourth-quarter net income at the Buffalo, New York, bank fell 37% because of higher funding costs and a special deposit insurance assessment. But lower interest rates and a stronger economy are expected to strengthen profits this year and into 2025, its CFO says.

As part of a settlement with the Justice Department, Patriot Bank must invest more than $1 million of the total in a loan subsidy fund for minority homeowners and take other corrective steps in its everyday business. The bank denied any wrongdoing.

Centra Credit Union in Columbus, Indiana — which completed a merger with NorthPark Community Credit Union this month — has agreed to absorb Hoosier Hills Credit Union. The latest deal would create a $3 billion-asset institution.

The Pittsburgh-based regional bank reported a jump in soured commercial and consumer credits during the fourth quarter. Still, PNC executives said the company is appropriately reserved for a mild recession.

Personal spending chugged along in the fourth quarter, thanks to the resilient job market. But loan charge-offs rose, and higher interest rates suppressed loan demand, executives say.

Surging interest rates, recession threats and weaker stock valuations bogged down merger-and-acquisition activity last year. The 98 announced deals fell short of even 2020, when the pandemic briefly brought the economy to a standstill.

Clark Street Capital said it developed a service to pair sellers with multiple potential buyers within just two weeks. It's meant to help small lenders close deals fast while still getting the benefits of a bidding process.

The KBW Bank Index posted a strong gain after a government report showed employers added 216,000 jobs in December. The labor market strength bodes well for lenders' credit quality but may delay highly anticipated interest rate cuts that would lower banks' funding costs.

A resilient economy and the potential for interest rate cuts could infuse further bullish sentiment into markets and bolster the shares of small lenders.

Overall merger-and-acquisition activity proved modest across the banking sector, but several prominent deals were reached. Read on for details of the year's biggest transactions.

Funding pressures moderated in recent months, but loan charge-offs climbed. With festering concerns about a vulnerable economy, the potential for elevated credits costs could loom large over the upcoming bank earnings season.

The lawsuit accuses Navy Federal of violating the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act after a CNN report that the lender approved a lower percentage of Black and Latino mortgage applicants.

The world's largest credit union reported a 5% increase in total loans in the third quarter while lending at the largest banks was almost stagnant. However, the Vienna, Virginia, institution's charge-offs also jumped significantly.

The acquisition would deepen Orrstown's presence in its home state and Maryland. In recent years, Codorus Valley Bancorp had faced pressure from an activist investor to consider selling.

Proposed capital rules aimed at bigger institutions will force regional and larger community banks to consider ways to grow or seek an exit strategy, bankers and analysts predict.

Top industry executives said this week that price increases are abating, even if they haven't yet fully abated. Their remarks reflect increased confidence that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady — or perhaps even cut them — in the first half of 2024.

Equity, based in Wichita, Kansas, has agreed to buy the parent company of the Bank of Kirksville. The combined company would have $5.4 billion of assets and 74 branches, including 23 in Missouri.