North Carolina

Much like small businesses, small banks can't take on huge IT projects and rely more on targeted deployments to build a user base for future technology.

NewDominion, which has completed an improbable turnaround, is the last community bank based in Charlotte, N.C.

Highlights at the North Carolina bank included deposit service charges, CRE lending and wider margins, which all offset one-time costs related to tax reform.

The company, which bought BNC Bancorp to enter North Carolina last year, recorded $19.1 million in merger-related expenses and an $8.3 million pretax loss tied to investment securities.

If Congress doesn’t take the lead on protecting consumers from data breaches, states are more than ready to offer their own fixes. Bankers will also be keeping close tabs on bills related to marijuana, PACE loans and elder financial abuse.

NewDominion Bank and M&F Bank are among the institutions willing to leave the industry's comfort zone to reach younger prospects.

Banks, especially smaller institutions, will be forced to find more ways to differentiate, Bryan Jordan said in an interview that also covered his company's recent purchase of Capital Bank and how tax reform will immediately stimulate the economy.

The planned purchase of Home BanCorp will nearly double the size of First Citizens' branch network in the Sunshine State.

The Tennessee company also set high expectations for revenue opportunities while projecting it will deliver a 15% return on equity in 2019.

First Reliance in South Carolina, which recently announced its first bank acquisition, is angling to take advantage of disruption caused by bigger mergers in the Carolinas.