A midweek rally followed robust bottom-line results from JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and several other large banks. But further interest rate cuts may be needed to sustain momentum.

The chairman of the financial institutions panel of the House Financial Services Committee said his newly reintroduced bill has a considerable chance of passing with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Advisors predicted that more banks will do deals and those transactions will be larger in 2025 amid expectations for lighter regulatory scrutiny.

Banks seeking to offload CRE assets are finding a receptive marketplace while regulators have managed to keep the situation in balance, observers say.

New regulatory changes have created the potential to enable smaller institutions to compete more effectively with their larger peers — if they're willing to seize the opportunity.

The bank said it would acquire Bank of Idaho for $245.4 million in stock. It marked the 12th bank deal for Glacier over the past decade.

Mutual Federal Bancorp nixed its planned acquisition of Pulaski Savings Bank. It did not disclose a reason for the deal termination.

Clearfield-based CNB Financial's planned acquisition of ESSA Bancorp in Stroudsburg would create an $8 billion-asset company with 49 branches and nearly $5 billion of deposits in the Keystone State.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company called its success in luring a team from Capital One as its most "newsworthy" move to date executing a strategy aimed at diversifying its lending operation.