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By Arasu Kannagi Basil
(Reuters) - Regional lender First Busey has agreed to buy smaller rival CrossFirst Bankshares in a $916.8 million all-stock deal, in yet another consolidation in the industry since the March 2023 turmoil after three banks collapsed last year.
U.S. regional lenders have been under immense pressure as elevated interest rates have dampened borrowing and increased competition for deposits, forcing the banks to scale up and diversify.
The deal would create a combined bank with $20 billion in total assets and expand Busey's presence into new markets including Kansas City, Wichita, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and Phoenix, the banks said on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Old Second Bancorp also said it would buy five Illinois branches from lender First Merchants, bolstering its Southeast Chicago presence.
CrossFirst shareholders will receive 0.6675 shares of Busey for each stock held, valuing the lender at $18.28 each, representing a 0.3% discount to the closing price.
Shares of both Busey and CrossFirst fell over 1% in early trading.
The deal, expected to close in the first or the second quarter of 2025, will likely boost Busey's earnings by 20% in 2026, the bank said.
"CrossFirst is a natural fit alongside Busey's established commercial and wealth management offerings and our payment technology solutions business," Busey CEO Van Dukeman said.
Busey's wealth management division, which provides asset management, investment, and brokerage services, has about $13 billion assets under care.
The ability to use Busey's low-cost deposits to fund commercial growth in CrossFirst's markets, and leveraging Busey's established wealth management platform should provide revenue upside, Stephens analyst Terry McEvoy said.
Illinois-based Busey had $11.97 billion in assets, while Kansas-based CrossFirst had $7.6 billion, as of June 30.
The companies have agreed upon a $36.7 million termination fee if the deal fails under certain circumstances.
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
