Growth strategies

Consolidation activity was ho-hum for most of April before a burst of transactions — and notable ones at that — were announced in the month's final week.

Pinnacle Bank chief Terry Turner never lacks specifics. He wants to expand inside a triangular zone that connects three Southern and mid-Atlantic cities, aims to enter five particular markets, and speaks bluntly about his plans for hiring alums of BB&T and SunTrust.

The Mile High City has been disrupted by a number of big bank mergers, which could increase competitive pressures on CUs across the state.

Sound Bank has new management as part of the transaction. It will also get a new name and expand into higher-growth markets.

Banco Bradesco said it will use the acquired bank to expand its investment offerings in the United States.

Profitability improved significantly last year for banks with less than $2 billion of assets, but not because of anything they did. Some troubling trends lurk beneath those big gains too.

The National Credit Union Administration and the Small Business Administration have established a program to boost SBA lending by credit unions, which was very light last year. It is sure to irk bankers, who have raised competitive concerns.

The Yankton, S.D.-based institution can now serve 18 counties across two states.

Two attorneys told a credit union audience the growing wave of marijuana legalization could have just as big an impact on financial institutions that don't serve the cannabis industry as those that do.

Over the past two years, Uma Wilson's strategy took a program that had been losing customers on a year-over-year basis and transformed it into the fastest-growing issuer of Visa cards in the region.