Strategic buyers

Stephen Steinour said it was pure conjecture that Huntington was a possible suitor for the Dallas bank if it decides to put itself up for sale at some point. He emphasized Huntington's core-growth strategy and upbeat economic signs from consumers and businesses.

SmartFinancial lined up a compelling merger with Entegra. Then a bigger bank offered more money and a higher premium.

Sure, M&A is a good option, but so are branch deals or key hires, say two veteran bankers who shared some of their successful strategies at American Banker’s Retail Banking Growth Stories conference.

First Bank is removing a competitor by agreeing to acquire Grand Bank for $19 million.

Mechanics Bank was close to buying Rabobank's U.S. unit last year, but pressed pause when the seller ran into serious legal troubles.

The deal will give Janney greater access to the community banking sector.

Mechanics, owned by a fund tied to investor Gerald J. Ford, will pay $2 billion for Rabobank in California.

Just nine bank merger pacts were announced in February, down from 17 in January. But they included the biggest deal in years and some other interesting storylines.

United Community, Synovus, Cadence and others stand to gain lenders and customers even if BB&T flawlessly integrates the $28 billion acquisition.

The company will close a dozen branches, including eight in Colorado.

Regional and community banks are eager to buy branches and hire top performers from the merging companies.

Hometown Financial will merge Abington Bank into Pilgrim Bank. The combined bank will be run by Andrew Raczka, Abington's CEO.

Bank of Princeton will also buy $190 million in deposits as part of the deal.

The Lake Mary, Fla., credit union has agreed to buy Fidelity Bank of Florida, which the SBA designated as a certified lender in 2017.

The Virginia company cautioned that it expects lending to slow down this year.

Executives at Key pushed back against doubts over a deal for Laurel Road Bank’s digital lending platform so late in the credit cycle, arguing that its customers are prime borrowers with high incomes.

A number of healthy credit unions have undertaken “mergers of equals” to bolster long-term prospects. But those institutions are opening themselves up to unique risks and challenges as a result.

The Georgia company will abstain from acquisitions this year as it looks to make internal improvements.

Shareholder approval, usually a formality, is far from guaranteed when an acquirer's share price is sliding.

Tom Meuser, the chairman of El Dorado Savings in California, said he could not get the necessary two-thirds backing from his shareholders because of recent declines in bank stock prices.