Cap Markets

Three banks have redeemed shares of preferred stock to make their exits from the Small Business Lending Fund.

De novo activity has remained at a trickle and the reason is investing in a new bank just isn't attractive as it used to be.

Salisbury Bancorp. in Lakeville, Conn., has issued $10 million in subordinated debt and plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

Community bank executives are wary about the year ahead. Cybersecurity threats, the real possibility of even tighter margins after the Federal Reserve acts, and compliance woes are among their concerns.

Carolina Financial in Charleston, S.C., plans to raise $30 million in a public offering of its common stock.

Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., which has made 15 bank deals since 2010, has raised $110 million in an offering of its common stock.

Lake Sunapee Bank Group in Newport, N.H., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., plans to issue $250 million in subordinated notes to fund potential acquisitions or refinance other debt.

Premara Financial in Charlotte, N.C., has raised $8.5 million in a stock offering and plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund program.

Mark Simmons, a seasoned commercial lender, is planning to open a bank in California’s Orange County that is dedicated to making loans to businesses. Core Commercial Bank, expected to be the state’s first de novo since 2008, would jump into a market where commercial lenders are plentiful — and aggressive.