Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

Comerica investors pushing company to find a buyer

Comerica investors pushing company to find a buyer

Comerica in Dallas is facing pressure from an investor to find a buyer. HoldCo Asset Management in Florida, which owns about 1.8% of the $tk billion-asset company's stock, released a presentation urging a sale to maximize shareholder value. "The firm has also been vocal with bank positions in the past," Scott Siefers, an analyst at Piper Sandler, wrote in a note to clients. "Too early to know any consequences of

July 28, 2025
America First Credit Union plans big purchase of Meadows Bank in Nev.

America First Credit Union plans big purchase of Meadows Bank in Nev.

America First Credit Union in Riverdale, Utah, has agreed to buy Meadows Bank in Las Vegas. The $22.5 billion-asset credit union said in a press release that it plans to rebrand the $1.4 billion-asset Meadows as Meadows Financial to operate as a division. The price wasn't disclosed. Meadows has six branches in Nevada and Arizona.

July 26, 2025
U.S. Eagle FCU deal to buy Southwest Capital Bank falls through

U.S. Eagle FCU deal to buy Southwest Capital Bank falls through

U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union in Albuquerque, N.M., is no longer set to buy Southwest Capital Bank in Albuquerque. The $1.5 billion-credit union agreed last August to buy the $434 million-asset Southwest Capital in a deal that was expected to close in the second quarter. Chez Steel, Southwest Capital's CEO, indicated that the recent losses at the credit union were partially responsible for the deal collapsing. While Southwest Capital "is very

July 26, 2025
Big paydays, big titles: Exec payments revealed for Pinnacle–Synovus

Big paydays, big titles: Exec payments revealed for Pinnacle–Synovus

The pending sale of Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., to Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., includes a series of high-stakes compensation arrangements for the team that will lead the newly combined company. The $54.8 billion-asset Pinnacle announced last week that it would pay $8.6 billion in stock for the $61 billion-asset Synovus in a deal expected to close in the first quarter. Terry Turner, Pinnacle's chairman and CEO, will serve

July 26, 2025
East Texas Financial to buy Texas National Bancorp

East Texas Financial to buy Texas National Bancorp

East Texas Financial in Kilgore has agreed to buy Texas National Bancorp. in Jacksonville. The parent of the $488 million-asset Citizens Bank did not disclose how much it plans to pay for the $836 million-asset Texas National. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. The acquisition "represents a strategic step forward ... enabling us to expand our presence in new communities in East Texas while maintaining local,

July 26, 2025
Simmons First in Ark. sells securities at $604 million net loss

Simmons First in Ark. sells securities at $604 million net loss

Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., shed underperforming securities. The company, which recently raised $327 million by selling common stock, disclosed in a regulatory filing that it sold about $3.2 billion of investment securities to Morgan Stanley at an after-tax loss of about $604 million. The loss will be recorded in the third quarter.

July 26, 2025
Customers Bancorp in Pa. preps for CEO transition

Customers Bancorp in Pa. preps for CEO transition

Customers Bancorp in West Reading, Pa., didn't have to look far for its next CEO. The $22.5 million-asset company said in a press release that Sam Sidhu will succeed his father, Jay Sidhu, on Jan. 1. Jay Sidhu will remain chairman. Jay Sidhu bought a $200 million-asset bank in 2009 and rebranded it as Customers Bank. He was also the co-founder and former CEO of Sovereign Bancorp, though he was

July 26, 2025
Heritage Financial in Wash. keeps purging underperforming securities

Heritage Financial in Wash. keeps purging underperforming securities

Heritage Financial in Olympia, Wash., reported lower quarterly profit after it sold more underperforming securities. The $7.1 billion-asset company said in a press release that its second-quarter net income fell by 14% from a year earlier, to $12.2 million. During the quarter, Heritage sold $91.6 million of securities at a pretax loss of $6.9 million. Net proceeds were used to buy $56.4 million in higher-yielding securities and to fund new

July 25, 2025