Community banking

The Baltimore bank, which was on the brink of failure before a group recapitalized it, is selling itself to Howard Bancorp.

Collaboration will help make up for cost concerns from adopting the technology and ensure that the core vendors get the message of community banks’ interest.

Two small banks recently announced plans to ditch their holding companies, but more could be on the way, says KBW CEO Tom Michaud. A big reason why is that regulators haven't gone far enough in "harmonizing their approach" to oversight, he said.

A deal between Pembina County Bankshares and Drayton Bancor would combine two small banks that operate on both sides of the North Dakota-Minnesota border.

Triumph Bancorp in Dallas has successfully taken chances on out-of-state acquisitions, factoring and other nontraditional strategies that many of its peers have avoided.