Growth strategies

Absorbing Health Facilities FCU will deepen S.C. Federal's presence in the city of Florence.

The deal will create a bank with nearly $50 billion in assets.

Cost cutting and systems integrations are short-term priorities, but over time CEO Kelly King and his heir apparent, Bill Rogers, will have to exploit the combined BB&T-SunTrust's revenue potential and prove the biggest post-crisis merger was a good idea.

The company will merge Fidelity Savings and Loan and Washington Savings Bank into its own bank.

The $28 million-asset AB&W Employees Credit Union will merge following a year of uneven financial results.

The company will pay $122 million for six branches and nearly $1 billion in assets.

While digital channels are becoming more popular, many banks remain committed to highway advertising.

The Albany-based credit union has picked up tiny City of Schenectady Employees FCU, which has struggled with profitability issues for years.

The industry's dominant growth strategy of 2019 was a hot topic during a House Financial Services Committee hearing.

Apollo Bank's agreement to be sold to a credit union has bankers worried there will be larger such sales in 2020.