Jim Dobbs

When community lenders report second-quarter results next month, all eyes will be on deposit levels and funding costs. By extension, analysts expect more banks to roll out expense reduction plans to protect their bottom lines.

Through May, there were 32 U.S. bank mergers and acquisitions announced, fewer than half of the 66 deals announced over the same span of 2022. But analysts say higher costs and more regulation could spur consolidation.

The American Bankers Association's Economic Advisory Committee said access to loans is likely to further soften, while defaults and credit losses could increase in the second half of the year.

Loan demand slowed, deposit costs jumped and credit quality became vulnerable, but veteran banker Frank Sorrentino sees more positives than negatives for community banks, particularly when interest rates level off.

The top 200 publicly traded banks with less than $2 billion of assets capitalized on their strong loan portfolios and interest income. But given a shift in the economic environment and banking industry, performance challenges are expected to intensify through 2023.

The seller announced the delay to give it time to solicit more votes in favor of the deal. It plans to push a June 13 meeting to next month, when shareholders will decide whether to approve the transaction.

After shares dropped in the aftermath of recent failures, most banks demonstrated resilience and investors started to buy back into the sector.

Bankers and a key government supervisor say the downfalls of multiple regional lenders reminded regulators that traditional M&A is better for the industry than failed-bank-deals.

The parent of the $1.1 billion-asset CBI Bank & Trust said it would buy McLaughlin Holding and its SENB Bank unit.

An activist investor blasted the appointment of Andrew Cohen, saying he has long served on the Philadelphia bank's board and shares responsibility for its financial troubles.

Nearly two out of three finance chiefs surveyed by Piper Sandler said they were most worried about deposit costs in the aftermath of recent bank closures. Only 7% cited credit quality as their top reason for unease.

The Kentucky-based bank plans to acquire the $234 million-asset Sumner Bank & Trust in central Tennessee in a transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter.

The beleaguered bank said it is selling 74 loans totaling about $2.6 billion to a subsidiary of Kennedy-Wilson Holdings. The move is part of a plan to pursue strategic asset sales, trim expenses and shore up its balance sheet.

Lenders in coveted locations with stable deposit bases are bullish about their expansion opportunities despite the shadow the banking crisis and recession fears have cast on the rest of the industry.

The West Virginia company says COO Jeffrey Jackson will become chief executive in August instead of January. He will succeed Todd Clossin, who will retire earlier than planned and describes Jackson as "well prepared."

Community banks tapped the brakes during the first quarter, citing higher interest rates, recession threats and fallout from regional-bank failures. Fed data shows the trend has continued into May, and executives are preaching caution.

Shares in small banks have plummeted during this year's banking crisis. But deposits have largely stabilized and credit quality remains historically strong, bolstering the case for bargain buying and a sector rebound.

The Florida lender hired corporate bankers in New York City who had previously worked at First Republic Bank, which collapsed last week.

MVB Financial's agreement to buy Integrated Financial Holdings has fallen through, with both sides citing an uncertain economic outlook and potential regulatory challenges. It's the second M&A deal to be scrubbed in the past week.

In the wake of spiking interest rates and surging deposit costs, bankers are looking for ways to scale back their overall expense bases to protect their bottom lines.