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How to Buy a Bank

Posted by Wendell Brock on Tue, Aug 11, 2009

An early decision bank organizers must address is whether to buy an existing bank or create a de novo bank. The right choice among these two options is always dictated by the particular set of circumstances faced by the group. At times, as circumstances and opportunities develop, bank organizers may even switch strategies in the middle of the process.

If the decision is made among the organizers to buy a bank, certain steps must be completed in order to get the transaction finalized. While each bank acquisition is unique, the steps generally fall into four major phases.

Phase One: corporation formation


Once the decision is made among the organizers to buy a bank, the group members create a stand-alone corporate entity. The newly formed corporation has two purposes: to purchase a bank and manage the organization’s funds. Other steps that are completed during this phase include:

•    Identification of the target bank
•    Negotiation of the purchase agreement
•    Sourcing and hiring of executive officers
•    Selection of a new bank location, as dictated by the business plan and/or assess the condition of the existing bank location

Phase Two: application


After the target is identified and the stock purchase agreement is in place, the group begins on the change of control application. The business plan within the application includes 10 separate sections; these sections are broken down and worked on until each is at least 80 percent or more complete.

Typically, each organizer must also complete an Interagency Biographical Financial Report (IBFR). This can be one of the most difficult sections; it must include each organizer’s personal and financial records for the previous two years and the current year, as well as projected records for the next year. The organizers should be compiling this information while the other sections of the application are being completed.

Phase Three: pre-file and comment letter  


Once the business plan is 80 to 90 percent complete, the organizers schedule a meeting with the regulating agency. At this meeting, the organizers must explain and defend their business plan to the regulators.

After the pre-file meeting, the group fine tunes and completes the business plan and sends it off to the regulating agency. The agency then has 30 days to make comments and request additional information. Once that request is made, the organizers have 30 days to compile the requested data.

Phase Four: Sell stock/capital and open doors

Often, when a bank is being purchased, a substantial amount (greater than 75 percent) of the capital must be raised by the time the application is filed with the regulators. In the current economic environment, regulators only want to approve “sure deals.” They are so busy with all the banking issues, that capital uncertainty is one issue they do not want to worry about in a purchase transaction.

For this reason, the organizing group is typically left with a private placement offering as the simplest way to raise the capital. Often this is done amongst the organizing group plus a few outsiders. The amount of capital required is dependent on the business plan approved. Typically, the regulators will require additional capital above the purchase price of the target bank to ensure that the new business plan has enough capital to succeed.

Once the capital has been transferred to the sellers of the bank, the doors may open “under new ownership.”

This is just a broad overview of the bank purchase process; each deal has unique circumstances that must be addressed. These circumstances could be legal in nature and involve counsel. Others are small details that can be easily overlooked by organizers. De Novo Strategy, Inc. has the experience and dedication to make the bank purchase project a reality and to help with every step.

Topics: bank buy out, Buy a bank, bank acquisition, bank aquisition, De Novo Strategy, organizers, capital, bank investors, buying a bank, bank applications

Sluggish Bank Regulators: How Much Are They Costing Taxpayers?

Posted by Wendell Brock on Tue, May 19, 2009

Seventy-three start-up banks opened their doors in 2008, according to industry data provider SNL Financial. The number compares unfavorably to what happened in years prior: there were 146 start-ups in 2007, 152 in 2006, and 135 in 2005. The drop-off in bank start-up activity has several contributing factors, but a big one is the ever-lengthening approval cycle. FDIC regulators, ever-conscious about squeezing risk out of the banking system and short on manpower, are taking longer and longer to provide final approvals on new bank applications. It appears that each de novo application now has to be sent to Washington DC for final approval.

Two years ago, a start-up bank could set aside about six months to receive an application approval. However, sometime in early-2008, things began to slow down. Now, a bank organizing group can expect twelve months or more to go by as the FDIC ponders the new bank’s worthiness.

Because time is money


The added caution on the part of regulators is understandable, but it doesn’t come without a cost. A de novo bank typically brings $10 to $25 million of new private capital into the industry. SNL Financial estimates that new banks last year brought in an average of $18 million apiece, or roughly $1.3 billion in total. But a look at the same numbers in prior years indicates that this figure could have been much higher; the 146 start-ups in 2007, for example, delivered a cumulative $2.67 billion in new funds to the industry.

Manpower constraints

Caution, unfortunately, isn’t the only obstacle new bank applications face. Another issue is lack of manpower. De novo applications are processed in the examination side of the FDIC. But many of those examination employees are now being diverted to the resolution department that manages the closing of  banks. A typical bank closure can require the participation of ninety or more FDIC employees—which is a lot of human resources to shuttle away from examining banks and application processing. Last year, the FDIC shut down 25 failed institutions; the count this year has nearly matched that figure.  While the FDIC works hard to help banks survive and keep our financial system healthy, they also look for the least costly solution to the insurance fund as they close an institution.

Private capital, ready and willing

At a time when the feds are dumping money into the financial sector to loosen up lending, the banking system could sorely use the extra capital provided by de novo banks. It was just recently that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) increased the expected 2009 cost of TARP by more than $150 billion. The estimated total cost is now $356 billion. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is also tinkering with the idea of selling bailout bonds to generate private capital that could fund bailout efforts.

Given that start-up banks bring their own capital—along with clean balance sheets, banking expertise and a willingness to lend—now might be the opportune time to fast-track bank applications. Finding a way to do that might be a practical addition to the existing banking recovery programs.  

Topics: FDIC, regulators, capital, bank applications

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BankNotes© is published by De Novo Strategy as a service to clients and other friends. The information contained in this publication should not be construed as legal, accounting, or investment advice. Should further analysis or explanation of the subject matter be required, please contact De Novo Strategy at subscribe@denovostrategy.com.