Three deals close out 2017 bank M&A activity

A trio of deals raised last year’s total number of bank mergers to 245.

Juniata Valley Financial in Mifflintown, Pa., agreed on Friday to buy Liverpool Community Bank in Pennsylvania for $12.6 million in cash and stock. The deal is expected to close in the first half of this year.

The $600 million-asset Juniata already owned a 39.2% stake in the $46.4 million-asset Liverpool.

“The combination of our two banks will allow us together to extend Juniata’s strong offering of banking and wealth management products and services to a broader customer group in the Perry County market,” Marcie Barber, Juniata’s president and CEO, said in a press release.

The transaction is expected to be accretive to Juniata’s earnings.

Sandler O’Neill and Barley Snyder advised Juniata. Kafafian Group and Pillar & Aught advised Liverpool.

Nano Financial Holdings in Irvine, Calif., agreed to buy Commerce Bank of Temecula Valley in Murrieta, Calif., for $23.3 million in cash and stock.

Commerce would be the first acquisition for Nano, which recently received commitments to sell $60 million in stock through a private placement to accredited investors.

“Our team has built a significant following among middle-market companies, so we know we are on track to attract significant core deposits and loans,” Mark Rebal, Nano’s co-founder and CEO, said in a press release. “We’ve come together to create a new standard for premier business banking for Southern California’s mid-market companies.”

Cappello Global and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips advised Nano. MJC Partners and Breakwater Law Group advised Commerce Bank.

Finally, Caldwell County Bancshares in Hamilton, Mo., agreed to buy the $20.2 million-asset Horizon State Bank in Cameron, Mo. The $123 million-asset Caldwell did not disclose the price it will pay.

The overall number of bank deals rose by 2% from a year earlier, based on data from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and S&P Global Market Intelligence. Aggregate deal values and premiums also increased in 2017.

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