The rumors keep swirling about the Royal Bank of Canada going after Republic Bank of St. Petersburg.
The Charlotte Observer and American Banker are the latest to add grist to the mill with recent stories reporting the possibility of a union.
Republic chief executive Bill Klich, who says he's not even talking to the Canadian bank, views the speculation with bemusement.
He thinks the stories were triggered by a St. Petersburg Times article Aug. 19 saying that Royal's RBC Centura unit was eager to buy a bank or open branches in the Tampa Bay area and Republic Bank is an attractive target.
"I get a chuckle out of it," Klich said. "I think it's the same old story."
And as for the potential of a deal? "I've got nothing to report," he says.
