Paul Davis

Banco Bradesco said it will use the acquired bank to expand its investment offerings in the United States.

Paul Taylor previously served as CEO of Guaranty Bancorp in Denver, which was sold in January to Independent Bank.

MidSouth had spent the last two years improving credit quality by reducing its exposure to energy credits.

The two banks’ CEOs used a public hearing to argue their merger will be a boon for underserved markets. But other speakers warned that bank consolidation hurts communities.

Entegra Financial, which had a deal to be sold to SmartFinancial, has instead agreed to be sold to First Citizens, which offered more money and will pay a breakup fee for the initial deal.

The acquisition also includes $525 million in deposits and $120 million in loans.

The cold, hard truth of bank mergers is that rivals often steal top producers and convince customers the bigger bank won’t care about them anymore. The CEOs of the merging banks explain their retention efforts.

Tens of millions of dollars of M&A costs and a decline in mortgage activity offset higher loan income in the first quarter at the two banks, which also offered a timeline for their rebranding and shareholder votes.

The New Jersey company agreed to buy BoeFly, which connects franchisors, small businesses, lenders and loan brokers.

The company could use its share of proceeds from the IPO to repay debt and pursue bank acquisitions.