OLSEN PALMER ADVISES FAIRMOUNT BANCORP, INC. IN AGREEMENT TO BE ACQUIRED BY HAMILTON BANCORP, INC.

Washington, D.C. – Olsen Palmer is pleased to announce that its client, Fairmount Bancorp, Inc., parent of Fairmount Bank (Baltimore, MD), has agreed to be acquired by Hamilton Bancorp, Inc., parent of Hamilton Bank (Towson, MD) in an all-cash transaction valued at $15.4 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fairmount and its subsidiary Fairmount Bank will merge into Hamilton and its subsidiary Hamilton Bank in an all-cash transaction valued at $30.00 per share, or approximately $15.4 million in the aggregate.  Upon completion of the transaction, which is expected to occur before the end of 2015, Hamilton will have five branch locations and pro-forma assets totaling $366 million.

Olsen Palmer LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and issued a fairness opinion to Fairmount Bancorp, Inc.

This is the 4th announced or completed transaction in the past 7 months on which Olsen Palmer LLC has served as financial adviser.

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About Olsen Palmer

Washington, D.C.-based Olsen Palmer LLC (“Olsen Palmer”) is an independent investment banking firm that specializes in advising community banks across the full spectrum of Mergers & Acquisitions. The principals of Olsen Palmer have collectively been advising financial institutions for three decades, including on over 50 M&A transactions with values as small as $4 million and as large as $4 billion. We are a nimble, high-touch firm, free of conflicts and driven solely to help our clients fully realize their strategic goals and maximize long-term value. For more information, please visit our website: www.OlsenPalmer.com.

OLSEN PALMER LLC MANAGING PARTNER CHRISTOPHER OLSEN SERVES AS FEATURED SPEAKER FOR WEBINAR FOCUSING ON “BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL M&A STRATEGY”

Washington, D.C. – Christopher Olsen, Managing Partner of Olsen Palmer LLC, served as the featured speaker, in collaboration with HORNE LLP, on a webinar panel entitled “Building a Successful M&A Strategy”. The webinar examined the community bank M&A landscape from a number of perspectives, including the current state of play, key valuation drivers and trends, and critical takeaways and best practices for both potential buyers and sellers.

Both the audio portion of the webinar as well as the presentation materials are available on a complementary basis and can be requested by sending an email to info@olsenpalmer.com.

About Olsen Palmer

Washington, D.C.-based Olsen Palmer LLC is an independent investment banking firm that specializes in advising community banks across the full spectrum of Mergers & Acquisitions. The principals of Olsen Palmer have collectively been advising financial institutions for three decades, including on over 50 M&A transactions with values as small as $4 million and as large as $4 billion. We are a nimble, high-touch firm, free of conflicts and driven solely to help our clients fully realize their strategic goals and maximize long-term value. For more information, please visit our website: www.OlsenPalmer.com.

OLSEN PALMER CLIENT TRACORP, INC. COMPLETES SALE TO CITIZENS BANCORP INVESTMENT, INC.

Washington, D.C. – Olsen Palmer LLC is pleased to announce that TraCorp, Inc., parent of Traders Bank (Tullahoma, TN), has been acquired by Citizens Bancorp Investment, Inc., parent of Citizens Bank of Lafayette (Lafayette, TN).

Established in 1889, Traders Bank operates five banking locations in the I-24 corridor between Nashville and Chattanooga and had $155 million in assets as of December 31, 2014. With its acquisition of Traders Bank, Citizens Bank of Lafayette’s total assets exceed $800 million, and Citizens becomes the 19th largest bank or savings institution headquartered in Tennessee.

Olsen Palmer LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to TraCorp, Inc.

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About Olsen Palmer LLC

Washington, D.C.-based Olsen Palmer LLC (“Olsen Palmer”) is an independent investment banking firm that specializes in advising community banks across the full spectrum of mergers & acquisitions. The principals of Olsen Palmer have collectively been advising financial institutions for three decades, including on over 50 M&A transactions with values as small as $4 million and as large as $4 billion. Ours is a nimble, high-touch firm, free of conflicts and driven solely to help our clients fully realize their strategic goals and maximize long-term value.

OLSEN PALMER MANAGING PARTNER CHRISTOPHER OLSEN DISCUSSES COMMUNITY BANK M&A TRENDS WITH SNL FINANCIAL

Washington, D.C. – Olsen Palmer Managing Partner Christopher Olsen was recently asked by SNL Financial to discuss the current state of the bank M&A landscape and key themes therein.

SNL Financial noted that the number of U.S. bank and thrift deals with a value of $200 million and below grew for the third straight year in 2014 and accounted for about half of the total volume of deals announced in 2014. In the article, Mr. Olsen addresses several of the key drivers behind this ongoing uptick in both overall M&A activity as well as in transaction pricing.

The discussion, featured in an article entitled “Renewed Hopes for Bank M&A Activity” can be read in its entirety by accessing the following link: https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/Article.aspx?cdid=A-30798277-9774.

About Olsen Palmer LLC

Washington, D.C.-based Olsen Palmer LLC (“Olsen Palmer”) is an independent investment banking firm that specializes in advising community banks across the full spectrum of mergers & acquisitions. The principals of Olsen Palmer have collectively been advising financial institutions for three decades, including on over 50 M&A transactions with values as small as $4 million and as large as $4 billion. Ours is a nimble, high-touch firm, free of conflicts and driven solely to help our clients fully realize their strategic goals and maximize long-term value.

OLSEN PALMER ADVISES FIRST COMMERCIAL BANCSHARES, INC. ON ACQUISITION OF DESOTO COUNTY BANK

Washington, D.C. – Olsen Palmer is pleased to announce that its client, First Commercial Bancshares, Inc. (Jackson, MS), has agreed to acquire DeSoto County Bank (Horn Lake, MS) in a cash and stock transaction.

With the merger, First Commercial Bank will enter DeSoto County, the third most populous and fifth fastest-growing county in Mississippi.  In so doing, First Commercial will become the 22nd largest Mississippi-based community bank while securing a Top 30 share of the Mississippi deposit market. The combined organization will have approximately $370 million in assets, $298 million in deposits, and four branches located in two of Mississippi’s largest metropolitan areas.

Olsen Palmer LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and issued a fairness opinion to First Commercial Bancshares, Inc.

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About Olsen Palmer LLC

Washington, D.C.-based Olsen Palmer LLC (“Olsen Palmer”) is an independent investment banking firm that specializes in advising community banks across the full spectrum of mergers & acquisitions. The principals of Olsen Palmer have collectively been advising financial institutions for three decades, including on over 50 M&A transactions with values as small as $4 million and as large as $4 billion. Ours is a nimble, high-touch firm, free of conflicts and driven solely to help our clients fully realize their strategic goals and maximize long-term value.