The pace of deal activity in 2024 is ahead of a year earlier, thanks in large part to summer momentum and a spate of all-stock deals. But an early August market rout created a new hurdle for dealmaking in the second half of the year.

In short, if the early days of BaaS were driven by market opportunity, the coming days of BaaS will be driven by the operational apparatus and software to acquire and manage that opportunity.

The stock swoon of early August, however, raises red flags and could delay an anticipated rise in loan demand for banks in need of stronger interest income, analysts caution.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency wants to update the dual mission of the Federal Home Loan Banks. Members of the private bank cooperative say their regulator has no authority to redefine the mission.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s focus on implementing stricter control over brokered deposits is misguided, a former chairman on the agency writes, and misses the real lessons of 2023's bank failures.

First National Community Bank CEO Ryan Earnest said his institution would likely use its entry into Paulding County, an Atlanta suburb, as a template for future expansion.

The Long Island-based thrift, long associated with multifamily and CRE lending, saw business lending spike the past year as it onboarded 15 banking teams. Other banks that did significant hiring have also reported more deposits and wider margins.

New executives were lined up for lenders across the country, including Fremont Bank in California.

When banks realize they are unable to continue their operations, a credit union is often a natural partner to consider.

The agency admitted navigating the different rules and regulations involved in its four existing lines of credit proved time consuming and confusing and kept some lenders from offering them altogether.

The KBW Nasdaq Bank Index was up 18% year to date through July, supporting expectations for more banks to use their shares as currency to take out competitors.

Despite the continuing trends of consolidation and limited startup activity, bankers and industry insiders say there is a path forward. But small lenders must evolve with changing technology.

The five largest bank M&A deals had an average deal value of more than $1.2 billion.

The Hammond, Louisiana, company, which announced changes to its business strategy, cut 71 jobs and reduced its dividend to 8 cents per share.

The $330 million transaction announced late Monday would give the Jasper-based company a foothold in fast-growing Columbus, as well as in Cincinnati.

The buyer said the all-stock deal to buy The First Bancshares would create a combined bank with $25 billion of assets.

The Wilmington, North Carolina-based institution is pursuing a model that cuts out the middleman and embeds its services directly into fintech partners' platforms.

Friday's deal for Premier Financial ends a five-year M&A hiatus for the Wheeling, West Virginia-based company while marking its expansion into Michigan.

ChoiceOne Financial Services would pay about $180 million to acquire Fentura Financial in a bid to expand in Detroit's suburbs. The deal would create a bank with more than $4 billion of assets.

The $73.5 million all-stock deal, slated to close early in 2025, would create a bank with more than $3 billion of assets.