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Here's a fact that will shock you:
Many community bank CEOs choose their investment banker the same way they choose lunch – by convenience.
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The result?
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Deals that fall apart, values that disappoint, and CEOs who realize too late they picked the wrong partner for the biggest transaction o...
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Sometimes the best strategy is the one you never saw coming.
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In 2017, we were hunting for banks to buy.
By 2022, we were the ones getting bought—and it was the best decision we ever made.
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Here's the story of how we built a bank so strong that when plans changed, we had options.
And why ...
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Picture this:
You're juggling a dozen spinning plates.
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Interest rates,
cybersecurity,
regulations,
talent wars,
loan quality
—each one demanding your attention every single day.
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Now imagine someone asking, "Are you ready to sell your bank?"
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Your first thought?
"I'm not selling!...
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You've spent years building the perfect team.
Late nights, tough decisions, and yes—probably hiring a few people who didn't work out.
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But now you have them: the stars who make your bank run like clockwork.
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Here's the question that keeps successful bank CEOs awake at night:
What happens ...
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Remember this fundamental truth:
Banks are bought, not sold.
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Buyers acquire your bank because they believe their institution will become more valuable with yours added to it.
They care less about your past performance and more about the future potential you bring.
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When two banks togethe...
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Did you know that even the gentlest bank acquisition creates massive cost savings?
Even when a buyer promises "no layoffs" and "business as usual," the financial magic of mergers still happens behind the scenes.
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The Automatic Cost Savings Nobody Talks About
When two banks combine, cost savi...
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Wondering when to sell your bank?
It's the question every bank CEO eventually faces.
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The best advice I know comes from NYU Finance professor Aswath Damodaran and his famous story about lemmings.
This simple story perfectly captures why so many bank sales happen at exactly the wrong time.
 ...
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The deal closed.
There are a whole host of emotions.
How do you celebrate?
And, with whom?
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Management Team
It’s important to celebrate this milestone with your team and to affirm their transformation into the value-driven leaders they have become.
Sadly, many leaders are so competitive w...
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The deal closed.
The bank you were CEO of, and the holding company (if applicable) no longer exist.
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The duties you had related to the distribution of the merger consideration will remain until they have been fully disbursed.
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Employees and customers begin to look beyond your authority to ...
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In addition to the organic customer calling that has taken place since the announcement, you will have a customer calling blitz as well.
That is a concentrated effort to go to the customer’s place of business for a face- to-face meeting.
The goal of the calling blitz is to make certain you can ...
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The deal has closed, the signs have changed, and as you can imagine, the shareholders are interested in when they receive the merger consideration.
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When selling a home, the documents get signed and the keys are exchanged for the sales proceeds.
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This transaction isn’t that simple, so commu...
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You’ve closed on the merger.
Legal counsel has communicated that everything is done.
Documents have been exchanged, and the deal has closed.
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The paying agent has the funds for distributing the cash merger consideration when shares are surrendered, according to the instructions the sharehold...