Key regulatory changes and business trends will drive bank mergers and acquisitions in 2019, two top bank deal lawyers say on the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast.

Look for 2019 bank mergers to be driven by large deals in metro markets, smaller banks on the buy side and de novo groups acquiring rural banks.

With the regulatory posture shifting, the next generation of de novo banks is finally beginning to emerge.

The FDIC formally launched its highly anticipated initiative to foster de novo bank formation.

Addressing the shortage of de novo banks in the U.S. over the past several years, FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams today said more can be done to encourage new bank formation.

With a powerful personal story and real-world banking experience, Jelena McWilliams is shaking up the FDIC.

Reflecting on a year that saw many positive legislative and regulatory changes for the banking industry, outgoing ABA Chairman Ken Burgess urged bankers to remain engaged in advocacy as these changes are implemented.

In the more than eight years since the Dodd-Frank Act passed, just 13 new U.S. banks have been chartered -- and in some years, no new banks have been chartered at all. ABA Chairman Ken Burgess, who co-founded FirstCapital Bank of Texas as a de novo two decades ago, is concerned about these numbers.

Under a major new transparency initiative, the FDIC will publish key performance metrics on its website, agency chairman Jelena McWilliams said today.

New bank charters historically mirrored new business startups, but sharply declined after the financial crisis and have not yet recovered.