Fee income

The San Antonio company will no longer charge fees on transactions of $100 or less that take checking account balances into negative territory, as long as the customer has a $500 monthly direct deposit set up.

Business First Bancshares is counting on its acquisition of Smith Shellnut Wilson to help it offer more advisory services to commercial clients.

UMB Financial’s success in aviation financing has boosted fee income, and the Missouri company has opened an office in Dublin — a hub for airplane sales and leases that could get busier as the airline industry restructures.

Acquiring AmeriHome would provide the fee revenue the Phoenix company seeks to compensate for low interest rates and tepid commercial loan demand. The deal also would allow it to reinvest billions of dollars of excess liquidity.

Noninterest income from Paycheck Protection loans and mortgage refinancings isn't enough to make up for shortfalls elsewhere, and growth prospects are hard to identify.

Acquisitions of wealth management, insurance, fintech and other firms are expected to pick up as banks seek new sources of fee income and look to improve digital capabilities.

Amerant Mortgage includes several former bankers from City National Bank of Florida in Miami.

Flush with capital from issuing subordinated debt, Peapack-Gladstone is exploring acquisitions in Florida and New York in an effort to generate more fee revenue.

Noninterest income has bolstered profits this year. But its growth is expected to slow over the next two years, making for a gloomy earnings outlook unless vaccine distributions and the economic recovery are relatively swift.

Financial Institutions in New York has agreed to acquire Landmark Group, which provides services to the construction, manufacturing, real estate and technology sectors.