Podcast: The community bank M&A outlook for 2023

Economic historian John Steele Gordon and editor-in-chief Evan Sparks discuss how the Erie Canal was financed and built—and how it transformed America.

Congress should repeal Section 29 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and replace it with a targeted asset-growth restriction for troubled banks. 

Total household debt increased by $197 billion to $18.59 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Proposed mergers and acquisitions announced for banks in Ohio, Colorado, Iowa and Georgia.

Economic activity in the services sector returned to expiation territory in October. The ISM Services Index indicated expansion at 52.4%, above the 50% breakeven point for the eighth time in 2025.

The nonfarm private sector added 42,000 jobs in October, and annual pay was up 4.5% year-over-year, according to the ADP National Employment Report. This follows an upward revision of September’s report from -32,000 jobs to -29,000.