Growth strategies

Christopher Maher is kicking the tires on an "acquisition of size" that would propel the New Jersey bank across the $10 billion-asset mark.

LA Financial's planned merger into Ventura County Credit Union is expected to be completed in early 2020.

The Iowa company will pay QCR Holdings about $59 million for Rockland Bank and Trust.

Acquiring the Nebraska bank would give CIT Group access to billions of low-cost deposits to fuel a go-it-alone growth plan. CEO Ellen Alemany says it could also make her company "more valuable" to potential buyers if it ever wants to sell.

The Michigan company will pay $68 million to expand in a high-priority market.

CIT Group will gain nearly $7 billion in low-cost deposits, mostly tied to homeowners associations, as part of the acquisition.

The companies said the merger will provide scale and help them update technology more efficiently.

Margin expansion may grind to a halt if the Fed holds rates steady or cuts them further. The problem is regionals tend to lack the side businesses that the big banks possess to offset lending slumps. Check out our annual ranking of banks with $10 billion to $50 billion of assets.

The bank will buy First State Bank of Mobeetie.

The company will pay $13 million for the parent of Western Bank of Wolf Point.