If you think the Tampa Bay area has lost more than its fair share of community banks to buyouts lately, you're not mistaken.
A third of Florida banking acquisitions in the past two years - five out of the 15 deals - involved the selling of banks with headquarters in the Tampa Bay area, according to a report by Jacksonville investment banking company Allen C. Ewing & Co.
Three of the acquired banks had headquarters in St. Petersburg (United Financial, Mercantile Bank/Gulf West and Bank of St. Petersburg) and two had headquarters in Tampa (Southern Exchange Bank/Charter Banking Corp. and Central Bank of Tampa).
Ewing's report, an annual review of the Florida banking industry, puts the selloff in perspective, pointing out that in the merger-happy 1990s, there were between 20 and 25 transactions a year statewide.
As rankings go, the bay area's presence was noticeably thinner in another Ewing chart. Out of the 10 best-performing community banks in Florida last year, only one was from this area: Premier Community Bank in Largo, ranked No. 9.
