Driven by a Need for Scale, Banks Focus on Balance Sheet Growth in an Improved M&A Climate, Bank Director Survey Finds

FORTY-SIX PERCENT OF BANK EXECUTIVES AND DIRECTORS ALSO EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER LOAN QUALITY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.

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Nov 16, 2015, 03:00 ET

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Nov. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Is the pressure on for small banks to get bigger? Sixty-seven percent of executives and board members responding to Bank Director's 2016 Bank M&A Survey see a need to gain more scale to survive in a highly competitive industry. Sixty-two percent of these respondents also see a more favorable climate for bank deals, hinting at a more active market for 2016.

Bank leaders also hint at a potential dark cloud. Forty-six percent of respondents say they're beginning to see a deterioration in loan underwriting standards within the industry that could lead to future credit quality issues.

The 2016 Bank M&A Survey, sponsored by Crowe Horwath LLP, examines current attitudes and challenges regarding bank M&A, and what drives banks to buy and sell. The survey was completed in September 2015 by 260 chief executive officers, independent directors and senior executives of U.S. banks, and former executives and directors of banks that have been acquired from 2012-2015.

Full survey results are available online at BankDirector.com.

ABOUT BANK DIRECTOR
Since 1991, Bank Director has served as a leading information resource for the directors and officers of financial institutions. Through its quarterly Bank Director magazine, executive-level research, annual conferences, and its website, BankDirector.com, Bank Director reaches the leaders of the institutions that comprise America's banking industry. Bank Director is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.

ABOUT CROWE HORWATH LLP
Crowe Horwath LLP (www.crowehorwath.com) is one of the largest public accounting, consulting, and technology firms in the United States. Under its core purpose of "Building Value with Values^®," Crowe uses its deep industry expertise to provide audit services to public and private entities while also helping clients reach their goals with tax, advisory, risk, and performance services. With offices coast to coast and 3,000 personnel, Crowe is recognized by many organizations as one of the country's best places to work. Crowe serves clients worldwide as an independent member of Crowe Horwath International, one of the largest global accounting networks in the world. The network consists of more than 200 independent accounting and advisory services firms in more than 120 countries around the world.

Contact:
Mike Alday, Alday Communications, (615) 791-1535, [email protected].

SOURCE Bank Director