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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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What if I told you that thinking like a buyer is the key to getting the best price for your bank?
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Here's a powerful exercise that changed how we saw our own bank's value:
Reverse engineering the perfect acquisition.
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The Magic Wand Exercise
Imagine you have a magic wand that lets you buy...
Every bank sale is unique, just like the bank itself and the leaders who built it.
But I've found that successful bank sales follow a pattern.
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This pattern matches what author Bo Burlingham describes in his book "Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top."
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Burlingham f...
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Want to send a clear signal to potential buyers that you're serious about selling your bank?
Start by bringing serious people to the table: Your investment banker, legal counsel, and accountants. This professional team doesn't just provide expertise – it signals intent and credibility to the mar...
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What separates successful bank sales from disappointments?
It's not market timing.
It's not luck.
And it's certainly not the latest M&A trend.
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It's preparation.
When you're prepared, two things happen: your decisions become more confident, and the entire process seems to "slow down" – all...
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Let's talk about something that trips up many bank CEOs when considering a sale: limiting your potential buyer pool too early in the process.
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Here's a fundamental truth about any sales process:
The more qualified prospects at the top of your funnel, the better your chances of getting maximum...
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Let's talk about one of the most crucial decisions you'll make when selling your bank: how to take it to market.
There are three distinct approaches and choosing the right one can mean the difference between a smooth, value-maximizing transaction and a messy process that destroys shareholder val...
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Let me share something I've learned from decades in banking: Most CEOs start thinking about selling their bank when they're forced to.
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And that's exactly when you don't want to start.
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And just because you’re prepared to sell, it doesn’t mean you need to sell.
Being prepared to sell, with...