Ken McCarthy

Rising premiums and lengthy earn-back periods have made investors more skeptical than ever about M&A. So the sooner banks are able to convert systems and rebrand, the sooner they'll be able to meet the promised cost-cutting and revenue targets.

The Boston company gained the mortgage platform when it bought First Choice in 2017.

The Houston company has already converted the systems and brand from January's acquisition, allowing it to focus more on bringing in business.

The Indiana credit union agreed to pay $21.3 million in cash for New Bancorp, which was created when its savings bank converted to a stock-owned company in 2015.

The Oklahoma company will pay $122 million for a bank with three branches in Dallas.

The Delaware company said newly formed NewLane Finance will use "advanced technologies" to provide expedited financing decisions.

The company, which is planning to revamp its organizational structure, has seen a sharp increase in funding costs over the past year.

Blue Lion Capital, which has been critical of the Seattle company in recent years, has nominated two individuals to become directors.

CEO Kessell Stelling said he thinks about Synovus' depressed stock price daily, even though his team is ahead of schedule cutting costs from a deal that closed in January.

Columbia Banking CEO Hadley Robbins says he's confident the bank can grow on its own as the number of buyout targets in the Pacific Northwest dwindles.