Paul Davis

Marathon International Bank would target the Ethiopian community with specific advertising and educational programs.

The company sold common stock to employees, existing shareholders and new investors.

Organizers of Sterling Bank have filed an application with the FDIC and have set a $20 million capital target.

It was thought tax cuts could fuel a rise in bank deals, but regionals seem to be leaning toward digesting what they have already bought, pursuing smaller, nonbank deals and rewarding shareholders.

The company will pay $62 million in cash for a bank with four branches and $337 million in assets.

Highlights at the North Carolina bank included deposit service charges, CRE lending and wider margins, which all offset one-time costs related to tax reform.

Liberty will add a branch in Kansas City, Mo., along with three locations in nearby communities.

Blue Lion Capital, which had a recent request for a board seat rejected, plans to nominate multiple people to run for the board at HomeStreet's next annual meeting.

Ameris, which was operating under a regulatory order when it agreed to buy Atlantic Coast, agreed to pay more money if it failed to complete the acquisition by mid-2018.

The company is gaining heft in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with its $34 million purchase of First Federal of Northern Michigan.

The company agreed to buy First Priority Financial for $82 million in stock.

Blue Lion Capital has complained about the company's reliance on mortgages and bank acquisitions.

The company has agreed to pay more than $50 million for United American Bank.

The company, which agreed to pay $58 million for Foundation's parent, will gain five branches in Cincinnati.

The payments company will pay $321 million for Crestmark Bank, a commercial lender that focuses on asset-based lending, equipment finance and government-guaranteed loans.

United will pay $130 million for NLFC Holdings, the parent company of Navitas Credit.

Banks, especially smaller institutions, will be forced to find more ways to differentiate, Bryan Jordan said in an interview that also covered his company's recent purchase of Capital Bank and how tax reform will immediately stimulate the economy.

Changing political and economic forces are raising new questions about deployment of tax savings and the cost of deposits, while old concerns about cost-cutting, credit quality and risk-taking persist or return.

Acquirers announced deals in California, Missouri and Pennsylvania on the last business day of 2017, raising the year's final tally to 245 transactions.

Scott Page, CEO of CoBiz Bank, will retire in a few days. He will be succeeded by Steven Bangert, the company's chairman and CEO. The company's chief financial officer will also become its chief operating officer.