Though bank analysts like Matthew Schultheis generally expect M&A activity to continue at a brisk pace for several years to come, stock market volatility could prove to be an issue for potential dealmakers in the near term.

County Bank, the holding company for the $324 million-asset Lapeer County Bank & Trust, said in a press release that it will pay $20 million, or $27 a share, in stock for the parent of the $245 million-asset CSB Bank.

Though bank analysts like Matthew Schultheis generally expect M&A activity to continue at a brisk pace for several years to come, stock market volatility could prove to be an issue for potential dealmakers in the near term. With a lower stock price, buyers may end up not being able to pay as much as sellers now expect, says Schultheis, who covers the financial services sector for Boenning & Scattergood. Here’s his outlook on bank M&A, including the number of deals he anticipates will happen this year and whether big banks might be among the buyers.

Kopernik Bank and Liberty Bank of Maryland, both mutual thrifts in Baltimore, have agreed to merge. No money would change hands given the mutual-ownership structures involved in the deal.

The private-banking prowess of newly acquired City National was the steadying influence Royal Bank of Canada needed amid global and domestic economic shocks in its latest quarter.

The Winston-Salem, N.C., regional banking company said the purchase of Swett & Crawford should boost its annual insurance revenue by $200 million, or 15%. The cash acquisition also represents a reallocation of the rest of BB&T's approved share repurchases under last year's CCAR.

Sandhills State Bank in Bassett, Neb., has agreed to buy Bank of Keystone in Keystone, Neb.

Chase Pay is tied to the issuer's 94 million credit, debit and prepaid card accounts, representing half of U.S. households. Depending on the perspective, this means Chase's wallet either starts with — or excludes — half of the market.

Midland States Bancorp in Effingham, Ill., has agreed to buy about $400 million in wealth management assets from Sterling Bancorp in Yonkers, N.Y.

Yes, all the big banks are paring their balance sheets to comply with new rules and axing expenses to please shareholders, but JPMorgan is simultaneously targeting affluent cities for branch and deposit growth.

Hampton Roads Bankshares agreed to take Xenith Bankshares' name and move to the seller's Richmond, Va., headquarters as part of a recent deal. The move gives the surviving company heft in a growing market that is attractive to other potential acquirers.

NASB Financial in Grandview, Mo., has agreed to buy Lexington B&L Financial in Lexington, Mo.

First Busey in Champaign, Ill., has abruptly changed the responsibilities of several executives.

Bank of Montreal posted fiscal first-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates as contributions from its purchase of General Electric's transportation-finance business added to U.S. earnings.

It is time for institutions to act independently of the Federal Reserve and raise their loan interest rates to improve returns.

Bank Mutual in Milwaukee has agreed to support an activist investor's nominee to its board.

There's nothing like the threat of a corporate relocation to prod government economic development officials into action.

When Andrew Samuel joined Sunshine Bancorp in 2014, it had a casual culture where growth wasn't a big focus. Less than two years later, he has turned the company into a commercial bank with growth — and acquisitions — firmly in its future.

South Dakota Bancshares in Pierre, S.D., has agreed to buy First State Bank in Pierre.

HSBC Holdings posted an unexpected fourth-quarter loss, its first since at least 2009, as revenue dropped and loans to oil and gas companies drove a jump in impairment charges.