Strategic buyers

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.

Cadence has upped the exchange ratio by 10%, a move made necessary by the 40% decline in its stock price since the deal was announced in May.

The combination of CCF Holding, Heritage Bancorp. and Providence Bank will create a $1 billion-asset institution. Veteran bank investor Kenneth Lehman will be its chairman.

Morris State will pay $24 million for the parent of Farmers & Merchants Bank.

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State Bank’s Evans started off his banking career by offering cold cans of soda to farmers in the field in the hopes of earning their business. Five decades on, he's widely known in banking circles for his prowess in building high-performing community banks and selling them for top dollar.

The past month was a busy one for community banks with expansion on the agenda and millions to spend.

The acquisition will increase Horizon’s core deposits and add branches around Indianapolis.

First Merchants in Indiana would pass $10 billion in assets by acquiring MBT Financial in Michigan.

In what would be its third acquisition in a year, the company formerly known as BofI Holding is buying a firm that clears trades for independent broker-dealers.

Hanmi alleges that SWNB's directors actively advised the Houston bank's investors to reject the merger.