The Bank Slate

INSIGHTS INTO THE BANKING INDUSTRY

Bridgewater to buy First Minnetonka City Bank in Minnesota

Bridgewater Bancshares in St. Louis Park, Minn., has agreed to buy First Minnetonka City Bank in Minnetonka, Minn.

The $3.7 billion-asset Bridgewater said in a press release that it will pay cash for the $242 million-asset First Minnetonka City Bank. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

First Minnetonka City Bank has two branches, $212 million of deposits and $128 million of loans.

“We are very pleased to add a high-quality and complementary Twin Cities community bank through a transaction that aligns with and accelerates our strategic priorities,” Jerry Baack, Bridgewater’s chairman and CEO, said in the release.

“First Minnetonka City Bank brings a granular core deposit base that creates balance sheet optionality and a loan mix that increases the diversification of our loan portfolio,” Baack added. “The bank’s investment advisory platform will allow us to offer a more complete product set to our client base.”

The deal should be 15% accretive to Bridgewater’s 2025 earnings per share. It should take less than three years for Bridgewater to earn back an estimated 5% dilution to its tangible book value.

Bridgewater plans to cut half of First Minnetonka City Bank’s annual noninterest expenses. It expects to incur $2.7 million of pretax merger-related expenses.

D.A. Davidson and Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg advised Bridgewater. Olsen Palmer and Winthrop & Weinstine advised First Minnetonka City Bank.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *