Chief operating officer Sam Sidhu takes over as president and chief executive on July 1. He has a list of 25 potential markets the Pennsylvania bank might enter, and has already begun hiring commercial bankers in Texas, Florida and Illinois.

Southern Bancorp's CEO said money from Square would help his bank continue serving underserved communities.

Though the community bank has most of its branches in California and is buying a Florida bank, CEO Scott Kavanaugh is eager to pursue targets in the Lone Star State after moving the corporate headquarters to Dallas.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

The $23.3 billion-asset Simmons would make big market-share gains in Memphis and Nashville with its deals for Triumph Bancshares and Landmark Community Bank.

The Dallas bank's $295 million acquisition of First Florida Integrity would give it its first presence on the East Coast.

Adding Community Bankers Trust would help United fill a key service gap between its branches in Northern Virginia and the Carolinas. It's United’s 33rd M&A deal under CEO Richard Adams.

Rising inflation could lead to a rate hike, bolstering lenders' profits in 2022. Improved credit quality and an economic rebound are also fueling investment in the sector.

Acquiring its local rival would give First Bank a commanding presence in Fayetteville and add to its presence in Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington.

Republic Bank in Louisville is the first community bank to launch Mastercard's True Name service, which allows customers to display their chosen name on debit cards.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

First Midwest Bancorp in Chicago and Old National Bancorp in Evansville, Indiana, agreed to an all-stock merger-of-equals that would create a $45 billion-asset Midwestern regional player.

Nearly a quarter of Black business owners seeking Paycheck Protection Program loans last year applied to fintechs — not far behind the percentage that turned to community banks, according to a New York Fed study. Deepening those new relationships could be a major source of growth for online lenders.

The seemingly expensive acquisition of Aquesta Financial Holdings is the cost of expanding in North Carolina's largest city.

Huntingdon Valley Bank in Pennsylvania and First Savings Bank in Indiana are among the banks extending their relationships with software providers to make small-business lending more efficient after the Paycheck Protection Program is phased out.

The Indiana company is buying 14 branches that Huntington Bancshares is divesting as a condition of its deal to buy TCF Financial.

Cypress Trust in Palm Beach is poised to pull off a rarity: the conversion of a wealth management firm into a community bank. It’s simply another way to take advantage of the ongoing melding of the two financial services sectors, CEO Dana Kilborne says.

Under a plan signed into law in March, the agency will first target direct loans that it has made to socially disadvantaged farmers. Guidance that will affect small banks that have made government-backed agricultural loans is due in 120 days.