Without the ability to build cutting-edge technology or recruit top talent, the best outcome for many small lenders is to merge with a bank seeking to enter a new market.

The Illinois company plans to combine Guaranty Federal Bancshares in Springfield with another bank it bought in the region.

The Houston companies emphasized the need for added size to compete with megabanks such as JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo.

The $457 million-asset Heritage Credit Union in Deforest has agreed to merge with the $3.7 billion-asset Connexus Credit Union in Wausau, forming a company with more than 420,000 members.

With its agreement to buy KS StateBank’s residential mortgage operation, Kansas-based Armed Forces is going all in on home lending.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has raised “certain regulatory concerns” about Blue Ridge Bankshares, delaying its combination with FVCBankcorp well into next year.

Under the country's buyout rules, Carlyle now has until Dec. 2 to announce whether or not it will make a firm offer for the company.

The $323 million acquisition would give the Indiana bank a presence in affluent Oakland County and in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.

OceanFirst Financial in New Jersey has agreed to pay $186 million to buy Partners Bancorp, which owns two banks that operate in the Washington suburbs and surrounding areas.

Amid a spate of deals in 2021, community banks are actively recruiting from merging rivals that are focused on closing and integrating acquisitions.

The Indiana-based online banking pioneer is purchasing First Century, a similarly tech-savvy company, for $80 million. The deal would diversify its revenue and improve its prepaid card offerings for small businesses.

The $47.6 million deal would help MidWestOne, which has been opening offices in other parts of the U.S., to expand closer to home in Iowa.

The Illinois bank is acquiring about 1,800 loans to insurance agents. As part of the deal, a team of Allstate specialists will join the bank's insurance agency finance business.

Fifty-three percent of community bank executives who participated in a recent survey said they’d spurn a takeover offer by a credit union, even if it was the highest bid. The findings underscore the rivalry between the two sectors at a time of rising consolidation.

GreenState Credit Union has announced three bank deals this year. Its CEO says purchasing banks can be easier than merging with rival credit unions, though the state's banking regulator has made it difficult to do so within Iowa.

The deal for Michigan-based Flagstar Bancorp, announced in April, was originally expected to be completed by the end of the year. The New York bank’s CEO expressed optimism that it will still get regulatory approval.

The credit union’s agreement to acquire Midwest Community Bank in Illinois follows two other bank deals it announced this year.

The upstate New York company, which has agreed to acquire People’s United Financial in Connecticut, is the latest bank to negotiate a multibillion-dollar spending commitment with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

PayPal said it isn’t pursuing an acquisition of Pinterest, ending days of speculation over a potential $45 billion deal.

The Alabama company agreed to buy two nonbank lenders earlier this year. It’s still on the lookout for possible deals, potentially in corporate finance or wealth management, its chief financial officer told American Banker.