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Not all puzzle pieces fit together nicely

Bank Acquisitions Increasingly Involve Out-of-State Buyers

Twenty-five bank mergers were completed, and many more were penned, during the first quarter of 2025. However, nothing dampens a buyer’s appetite more than uncertainty, which we have in abundance right now. In addition to highlighting completed transactions, this week’s…

Underserved Does Not Mean Undeserved

During 2023 and 2024, 57 Community Credit Unions were granted permission to expand into a total of 89 areas that are/were underserved by other financial institutions. These expansions have the potential to increase membership at these credit unions by nearly…

When a Bank’s Interest Margin is Too Big

The aggregate net interest margin (or NIM, the difference between interest income generated and interest paid out) at our nation’s banks was 3.22% at year-end 2024. This number can vary a lot depending on how big the bank is and…

Community Bank Branches Good for Consumers

Community Banks are Open for Deposits

During calendar 2024, aggregate domestic deposits at our nation’s banks increased 2.3%, but some banks, community banks in particular, stand out with deposit growth exceeding 100%. All community banks rated at least 3½-Stars with deposit growth that exceeded 45% can…

Will 2025 Be the Year for a De Novo Comeback?

During the period from 2000-2008, there were 1,243 de novo banks; there have only been 95 in the years since then. We are excited to see Kyle Hauptman, NCUA Chairman and Travis Hill, FDIC Acting Chairman, both eager to support…

New Credit Union Star-Ratings Are Now Available

All bank and credit union star-ratings are now based on December 31, 2024 financial data. As both banks and credit unions continue to consolidate, most other measures continue to rise. Our focus this week was on the credit union industry,…

All New Bank Star-Ratings Now Available

All bank star-ratings have now been updated based on year-end 2024 data. (Credit unions will be out soon.) The FDIC’s new Acting Chairman, Travis Hill, (since January 20th) has already made two big changes in the release of new bank…

Credit Union Fees: Can’t Blame Overdrafts This Time

Credit Unions may be member owned, but that doesn’t mean members are exempt from fees. A research note from the NCUA (January 16, 2025), disclosed two major findings. 1) In spite of many credit unions reducing or eliminating certain fees,…

Problems Persist in Commercial Loans

Over the last four weeks, we have examined different types of loans and how they are performing at our nation’s banks, particularly since all levels of past due loans have been on the rise. While we did discover some weakness…

Consumer Debt Shows Remarkable Resilience

Aggregate household debt is quickly approaching the $18 trillion mark, with balances $3.8 trillion higher today than just before the pandemic. While the majority of that increase falls into mortgage categories, roughly $65 billion was incurred via non-housing related consumer…

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