Jim Dobbs

With net interest margins at historic lows, investors will be looking for any signs of improvement in consumer and commercial lending when banks begin reporting third-quarter results this month.

The Onondaga, New York-based buyer agreed to pay $82.8 million for Elmira Savings Bank.

Eagle said it would pay $41.3 million for First Community Bancorp. It would be the bank's fourth purchase of a Montana bank since 2018.

The companies said they are still waiting for the Federal Reserve to approve the deal, which was announced nearly a year ago and was scheduled to close by Oct. 15. The new deadline is March 1.

The company has agreed to buy Fortune Financial, which would give it a toehold in the St. Louis area.

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.

The New Jersey bank plans to reinvest half of the savings into technology development and hiring.

To satisfy a condition of its sale to BancorpSouth, Cadence Bancorp is selling the branches to First Bancshares in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Hoping to slow the pace of deals, the Independent Community Bankers of America is urging lawmakers to impose a tax on credit unions that acquire small banks. One credit union CEO called the proposal a "gimmick."

The Fed, FDIC and OCC have issued guidance that says community banks should consider risk factors such as financial strength and business experience when evaluating potential fintech partners.

Some banks and credit unions, once hopeful of a swift end to the pandemic, are beginning to toughen credit underwriting and rethink growth strategies as if the coronavirus will influence the economy for years to come.