Square 2 Marketing Inc. 1501 Main St, #210 Warrington, PA 18976 Phone 215-491.0100 Fax 215-491.0300 Web www.square2marketing.com Email info@square2marketing.com Big Sky Associates Campaign Email #3 v.1 : 10.10.14 [Subject:] Maneuver Your Bank Successfully Through The M&A Process [H1:] How To Nimbly And Prosperously Navigate [H2:] Middle-Market Bank Mergers And Acquisitions [Copy:] Bank mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are often long, winding processes where hairline differences and intricate details are all critical to the success of the project – and sometimes to the survival of both financial institutions. In order to successfully navigate the M&A process at your middle-market bank, you need the right strategies to help you complete the merge smoothly while also avoiding disaster. Whether your next bank acquisition involves you buying out another bank, or being bought out yourself, these three strategies help you navigate the M&A operation both nimbly and prosperously: » Discover The M&A Strategies [Link to: Anchor text in full article] [SIDEBAR #1: NRO] Realize These Bottom-Line Benefits For Your Post-Recession Bank Your bank needs to be prepared and stay competitive in this economy, so take action today with process improvement so that your bank is able to tackle whatever challenges the future holds tomorrow. » Bolster My Bottom Line [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/6-bottomline-benefits-of-process-improvement] [SIDEBAR #2: DBO] 10 Process Improvement Ideas That Deliver Five Times Your Investment © 2014, Square 2 Marketing, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 1 Stop investing time and money into process improvement efforts that cost more than the savings they deliver. Instead, improve your operations with ideas guaranteed to deliver five times the ROI. » Get My Ten Ideas [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/10-processimprovement-ideas-that-deliver-five-times-your-investment] © 2014, Square 2 Marketing, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 2 [Full Article on Website:] [Page Title:] How To Nimbly Navigate Bank Mergers And Acquisitions [Keywords:] bank mergers and acquisitions, mergers and acquisitions, middle market bank, m&a, bank merger, corporate bank, bank acquisition, banking compliance, federal banking regulations, regulatory compliance [Meta Description:] Discover how to maneuver your middle-market bank successfully through the M&A process with these three strategies sure to guide you to profitable success. [Image File Name:] middle-market-bank-mergers-and-acquisitions-navigation.jpg [Image Alt Text:] Nimbly And Prosperously Navigate Middle-Market Bank Mergers And Acquisitions [H1:] How To Nimbly And Prosperously Navigate [H2:] Middle-Market Bank Mergers And Acquisitions [Copy:] Bank mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are often long, winding processes where hairline differences and intricate details are all critical to the success of the project – and sometimes to the survival of both financial institutions. In order to successfully navigate the M&A process at your middle-market bank, you need the right strategies to help you complete the merge smoothly while also avoiding disaster. Whether your next bank acquisition involves you buying out another bank, or being bought out yourself, these three strategies help you navigate the M&A operation both nimbly and prosperously: [Anchor Text links here] [H3:] Strategy #1: Build A Common Corporate Culture On paper, two banks might look like a perfect financial and strategic fit but you shouldn’t forget to take the corporate bank culture into account as well. While not a factor on the balance sheet, every bank benefits from a merger or acquisition [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/blog/the-benefits-and-dangers-of-bank© 2014, Square 2 Marketing, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 3 mergers-and-acquisitions] because of the increase in talent at leadership’s disposal. However, you need to deploy this talent strategically so that two colliding cultures don’t end up demoralizing your top performers. Bank mergers and acquisitions that don’t account for cultural fit often end up failing due to poor communication, mismatched goals, inconsistent leadership styles and incompatible processes. Throughout the M&A process, be sure to thoroughly communicate and double-check that employees are adapting to the change – and invest the extra time and effort to ensure your newly merged employees are working together in harmony. Another danger of mismatched cultures that you need to consider is the risk and compliance culture of each bank involved. Every financial institution handles banking compliance and federal banking regulations [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/retail-bank] differently, but it’s important that the two merging banks agree on their approach moving forward. When two mismatched risk cultures clash during a bank merger, it negatively affects the profitability of the business down the road if they haven’t come to a working solution. [H3:] Strategy #2: Assign A Dedicated Leadership Team Merging any two financial institutions is never a part-time job. Rather, you need to establish a dedicated integration team whose sole purpose is to see the bank acquisition or merger through from beginning to end, [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/banking-operations-and-compliance-solutions] including any IT system integrations and employee transition training. Execution risk is a major danger in bank mergers and acquisitions and too many banking executives don’t even consider it. Without a dedicated leadership team to integrate the two banks, you risk poor communication and loss of focus on day-to-day activities. This lost focus and poor teamwork eventually translates into negative customer experiences and potential breaches in regulatory compliance. In some cases, not committing enough time and resources into bringing the two banking platforms together results in such negative customer impact that the newly merged bank fails completely. [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/blog/7pitfalls-to-avoid-in-your-middle-market-bank-acquisition] Avoid this mistake by dedicating enough resources for a full integration of the two financial institutions – you won’t regret it. [H3:] Strategy #3: Develop A Robust Infrastructure Bank M&A events have the tremendous benefit of scaling your bank more efficiently, not just in terms of your efficiency ratio, but also in terms of your banking operations. A larger bank also has a lower aggregated risk profile since a larger number of similar-risk, complimentary loans decrease overall institutional risk. © 2014, Square 2 Marketing, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 4 Yet, in order to reap the rewards of that efficiency, you need to develop a robust shared infrastructure for the two institutions. Your new core infrastructure should include every facet of your newly merged business, including compliance tracking, risk management, accounting, operations and IT. As you build the new infrastructure, remember to efficiently consolidate and administer all operations with an integrated lean banking approach [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/blog/why-lean-banking-is-the-only-future-foryour-financial-institution] so that your bank is as profitable as possible and prepared to face the future with confidence. With the right approach and a smart strategy, your middle-market bank reaps the benefits of a merger or acquisition without putting itself in range of the perils. Use these three strategies to help you navigate the complex, intricate process of an M&A event with more agility – and more budget to spare. Looking for more insight on how to nimbly – and prosperously – navigate the M&A process? Click below to connect with a middle-market banking expert from Big Sky Associates and receive 10 simple and effective process improvement ideas that return five times your initial investment. » [Graphic DBO Button: 10 Process Improvement Ideas That Deliver Five Times Your Investment] [Link to: http://www.bigskyassociates.com/10-processimprovement-ideas-that-deliver-five-times-your-investment] © 2014, Square 2 Marketing, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 5