Columbia Banking's CEO, who died unexpectedly on Sunday, was a thoughtful and tenacious leader who leaves a legacy of turning a small Washington bank into a regional power in the Pacific Northwest.
Stocks of big banks have now largely recovered from their financial crisis lows; the big Japanese tech and telecom company plans to buy the $70 billion asset manager.
Not every bank could simultaneously make and entertain acquisition offers like Pacific Continental did, but its story highlights hard questions facing financial institutions in a consolidating industry.
