Robert Barba is the technology editor of American Banker. Robert previously served as deputy editor of American Banker's dealmaking and strategy section. He joined American Banker in late 2007 as a community banking reporter, just in time for the financial crisis. Robert played a lead role in covering community banks' struggle for survival in the years following the downturn. Robert has appeared on Fox Business to discuss bank failures and the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program. Prior to joining American Banker, Robert was a general business reporter at Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers in Stuart, Fla. He began his career as a business desk intern at The Denver Post and Boulder Daily Camera. Robert is based in New York.
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Though many banks have capitalized on the financial crisis, Home BancShares is a leader among that group. It scooped up seven failed banks in Florida and bought two more open, but deeply distressed, ones, a tally few can top.
November 21 -
Pacific Premier is complementing two liquidity-driven acquisitions with the addition of a restaurant-franchise lending company. Such loans are expected to bring the California company higher-yielding loans. It's another example of banks' strong push for new revenue sources.
November 19 -
The pairing of Rockville Financial in Connecticut and United Financial in Massachusetts would create a $5 billion-asset bank that can get more efficient yet invest in growth. More deals like it have been happening around the country this year.
November 15 -
Old Line Bancshares in Bowie, Md., agreed to disclose more information about a recent acquisition when challenged by shareholders, but it refused to pay any money. That rare resistance could embolden other banks to fight such suits harder, experts say.
November 14 -
Until the Fed threatens to raise rates soon, commercial borrowers will take their time seeking credit, and the economy will keep plodding along, the U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis says.
November 14 -
A number of roll-up companies were built for an M&A market characterized by a torrent of failed banks, a dearth of available capital and lots of sellers. Things turned out much differently. Here's how one company, National Bank Holdings, has adjusted.
November 13 -
Recent legal settlements have compounded big banks' fears about pursuing M&A, U.S. Bancorp chief Richard Davis says.
November 12 -
Recently there have been many acquisitions and other i-banking transactions involving financial technology companies that target low-to-moderate income consumers, according to a new study.
November 7 -
To prove the value of the merger of Provident New York Bancorp and Sterling Bancorp, executives have to increase revenues at a much faster pace than expenses over the long haul, CEO Jack Kopnisky says.
November 5 -
Half of banking and other business leaders expect a stronger economy, and 44% expect a stronger M&A market, in the next 12 months, according to a new survey. Regulation remains a concern, but dealmakers are largely ignoring the lingering problems in Washington, observers say.
November 1 -
The Pennsylvania company is raising $150 million. Two-thirds of it will go toward redeeming trust-preferred securities, but the remaining funds could be used to do bigger deals.
October 31 -
M&A is time-consuming and expensive, and its especially painful for small banks like First Scottsdale, an aspiring consolidator in Arizona, when their deals fall apart.
October 29 -
Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, Calif., is a lesson in seizing the moment. It went on the M&A offensive just weeks after being freed from a regulatory order, is poised to become No. 2 in market share in San Luis Obispo County and sees major cost-cutting opportunities.
October 25 -
Nobody has told banks in the northwestern U.S. that bank M&A is in the doldrums. Two deals were announced and another terminated there after the markets closed Wednesday, and that will put pressure on banks in the region to keep buying each other.
October 24 -
JPMorgan Chase's acquisitions of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual during the meltdown were once seen as bargains and more recently second-guessed in light of the bank's $13 billion mortgage settlement. The pain will pay off in the long run, experts say.
October 23 -
Multiples are stronger in historical terms than many bankers assume, buyers' stock prices are going up and banks need to get to $25 billion of assets to thrive, says David Olson of River Branch Holdings.
October 18 -
Timothy Geithner hasn't been Treasury secretary for months, but he gets his name on the new $100 bills that went into circulation last week.
October 18 -
Some regional banks reported strong loan growth in the third quarter and are upbeat about the fourth. Others had a weak summer and expect this quarter to be the same. All claim their lending practices are sound and that rivals are taking risks. It doesn't add up.
October 17 -
PNC, U.S. Bancorp and KeyCorp all reported loan growth of at least 5% in the third quarter as they focused heavily on strengthening customer relationships and reaped the benefits of expansion into new markets or business lines. Still, revenue and other challenges remain.
October 16 -
The Troy, Mich., bank's agreement to buy the four remaining bank units of Capitol Bancorp in a bankruptcy auction would strengthen its Midwestern profile, but it has to accept two far-flung units and navigate some tricky regulatory issues to get the deal done.
October 15
