Growth strategies

First Commerce Credit Union's agreement to buy Citizens Bank brings to 14 the number of deals this year in which a credit union is buying a bank.

A seller's assets and deposits lose some luster if the best and brightest who helped bring in the business leave after a deal closes.

The online lender's name will go on a glitzy new stadium in Inglewood, Calif., that is scheduled to open next year. The big question is whether the 20-year deal will contribute to profitability, which SoFi has yet to achieve on a consistent basis.

An increase in credit union acquisitions of banks has been a blow to the morale of many commercial bankers, and some of their trade organizations are trying to slow down the trend. There may be little they can do.

A proposed combination of First Defiance and United Financial is designed to create an Ohio company that can better weather shocks from lower rates and economic uncertainty.