Dealmaking in the banking industry continued to thaw in October with M&A talks freshening as compressed margins and slowing loan growth are highlighting the benefit of (or need for?) greater operating scale. The relevance of scale is crystallized when considering the declining trajectory of net interest margins in recent years.
Deal pricing continues to be a bit of a mixed bag, as price discovery remains limited. Two of the transactions announced in October were mergers-of-equals (“MOE”) in which the contribution pricing was based on the parties’ actual stock market valuations.
We are not surprised to see MOE transactions continuing to feature prominently in our clients’ Board rooms as they can be a powerful vehicle for achieving incremental scale assuming, of course, that so-called social issues can be successfully navigated.
With headwinds stiffening, the number of banks interested in a sale is anticipated to increase. For further insights on the bank M&A sale process, we are hosting another special edition Webinar on December 1st at 3pm ET during which we will discuss the sale process, the transaction sequence and timing, and best practices. This will be helpful both for those contemplating a sale as well as those interested in acquisition(s). Please click here to register.
Finally, on October 1st, Farmers and Merchants Bank acquired Carroll Community Bank; on October 27th, First Bank of Alabama agreed to acquire SouthFirst Bank; and on October 28th, Eureka Savings Bank agreed to acquire Wenona State Bank (party advised by Olsen Palmer indicated in bold). Olsen Palmer remains the #2-ranked bank M&A advisor nationwide based on the number of whole-bank M&A transactions advised on in 2020 year-to-date, according to S&P Global.
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Contact: info@olsenpalmer.com