$165.6 million transaction will make Tri Counties the biggest community bank in Bakersfield and Kern County

Plus: Wells Fargo hires for commercial banking, Federal Reserve Bank of New York appoints supervision chief

Plus: Colorado-based First Western to buy Rocky Mountain Bank parent

United Community Banks buys Reliant, Lakeland Bancorp to acquire 1st Constitution Bancorp, First National to buy Howard Bancorp

SRM commentary advises banks to review operational models and names M&A and digitalization as top trends for 2021

26 deals announced in June marks the highest monthly total since 2019

Royal Business Bank adds $78 million in deposits with branch purchase, while MVB offloads quartet of sites to Summit

Loan defaults during the pandemic largely failed to materialize

Regulators being encouraged to tighten scrutiny of deals

First-of-its-kind competition challenges organisations to identify resources and tools for unbanked people across the US