The combination, expected to close next year, would create a regional bank with $17 billion of deposits across 10 states.

Lower interest rates could bolster loan demand, credit quality and securities portfolios. But they could also curb lending profitability faster than they ease deposit costs, crimping net interest margins and eating into near-term profits.

The planned Altos Bank in Los Altos cleared a big hurdle this week when state regulators approved its application to open a startup bank. Organizers are hoping for a soft opening before year-end.

Increased demand from borrowers may hinge on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues cutting interest rates this fall.

In a sea of generically named "First Banks of X" and "Community Banks of Y," financial institutions must decide if the painstaking rebranding process is worth the investment and risk to stand out.

Industry Bancshares got into a deep hole after rising interest rates tanked the value of its sizable bond portfolio. Now the Texas community bank is expecting a $195 million capital infusion and taking steps to start relying more on revenue from loans.

The Ames-based Ames National Corp. has watched its profits shrink over the past two years amid increased funding costs and stiff competition for deposits.

Shan Hanes, the former leader of Heartland Tri-State Bank, previously pleaded guilty to embezzling tens of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency scheme that caused the Kansas bank's failure.

U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union said it plans to acquire Southwest Capital Bank in a transaction slated to close next year. It would help the buyer expand its cannabis banking operation.

The planned Bay State deal comes two months after the Minneapolis-based Thrivent said it plans to merge a credit union it controls into a new industrial bank.