Mississippi

While sellers in urban centers are getting a lot of attention from acquirers, Southern Bancorp in Arkansas shows the upside of pursuing smaller deals in underserved rural markets.

Brand Group in Georgia was mulling a public offering but it opted to test the waters as a seller first. That decision led to one of the biggest bank deals announced this year.

Auto lenders would be well advised to keep up their guard as states — particularly blue ones — take steps of their own to crack down on what they see as abusive practices.

Dan Rollins engineered nearly a dozen deals while at Prosperity Bank. Now CEO at BancorpSouth, he has returned to M&A after spending four frustrating years dealing with compliance issues.

BancorpSouth, which had two prior deals delayed over BSA and CRA issues, has agreed to buy a bank in the Houston area.

An increase in total loans and a lower tax rate helped the Mississippi company offset revenue it lost after selling a consumer finance business.

The Mississippi company will gain nearly $2 billion in loans after it buys Brand Group Holdings.

BankFirst Financial Services in Columbus, Miss., has acquired HomeFirst, a mortgage services firm.

Harrison Finance has 35 offices, nearly 140 employees and about $95 million of outstanding loans.

The company sold common stock to employees, existing shareholders and new investors.