Growth strategies

BSI Financial Services received a capital infusion for the subservicer to acquire mortgage servicing rights for its own account in order to offer its clients more liquidity for this asset.

The industry's largest acquisition in more than a decade will create the sixth-biggest bank in the country, with assets of more than $442 billion.

The tricky part: raising awareness without appearing to take advantage of borrowers at a time when agencies like the SBA are out of commission.

Bank OZK's George Gleason, one of our community bankers to watch in 2019, needs to rein in the Arkansas bank's commercial real estate exposure to placate nervous investors.

Challenges will likely increase as interest rates rise and investors grow more concerned about a downward turn in the economic cycle.

Mutual of Omaha Bank company Synergy One Lending is preparing to acquire certain assets of BBMC Mortgage, a national mortgage company and division of Bridgeview Bank, which will expand its Midwest footprint and improve its strategic direction.

First Foundation sold loans to Freddie Mac to free up space for higher-yielding credits. It then bought the securities that were formed to replace other, lower-yielding assets through an often overlooked program.

Bemortgage, currently a division of Chicago's Bridgeview Bank formed last November by a former Guaranteed Rate executive, will become a part of CrossCountry Mortgage.

Level One Bank in Farmington, Mich., has hired a team of mortgage bankers from MB Financial, which previously announced it was shutting down this business line.

The deal is designed to improve capital ratios and reduce risk at the Seattle company.