In a speech on the central bank's regulatory agenda for the year, Federal Reserve Board Gov. Michelle Bowman said the merger-and-acquisition review process could benefit from added transparency.

The two banks are now targeting May 27, three months later than their previous goal. The transaction, which would create a top-six U.S. bank by asset size, was originally expected to be completed last fall.

The loan-growth projections are for Columbia Banking System itself, before the Tacoma, Washington, bank officially merges with Umpqua Holdings. The $5 billion deal is scheduled to close Feb. 28.

Dicier credit conditions, recession fears and tougher regulatory scrutiny combined to weaken merger activity in 2022. A push for scale is bound to resume when interest rates level off — at least among smaller banks, analysts say.

A special-purpose acquisition company is merging with a bank as its affiliated startup still lacks its own national bank charter.

The deal will close for $10 million in cash, plus the right to purchase nearly 33.9 million shares of common stock.

Both Canadian banks are awaiting green lights from regulators for their pending acquisitions of U.S. banks. "We don't control the timing of all the regulatory approvals," TD's chief executive said Thursday.

Amid scuttlebutt, the Atlanta company is mum on buyer, which is rumored to be CrossCountry Mortgage.

USAlliance Federal Credit Union in Rye, New York, has agreed to merge with Marriott Employees' Federal Credit Union in Bethesda, Maryland, to create a nearly $3 billion-asset organization.

The acquisition, which was originally expected to close at the end of last year, ultimately took more than 18 months to receive regulatory approval. It is now expected to close on Dec. 1.