Street Talk

The current environment is highlighting the value of scale and should encourage more bank M&A activity, including larger transactions, according to KBW CEO Tom Michaud. In the episode, Michaud, whose firm just advised TCF on its $6 billion merger with Huntington, said that more institutions are looking to gain scale to invest in digital channels, become more efficient and close branches and effectively compete with the megabanks. The executive also discussed what has driven banks stock recently and argued that valuations will be higher a year from now.

Banks' credit quality remained quite strong through the third quarter but industries more exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic, like the hospitality sector, have caused a headache for many institutions and performance is unlikely to rebound soon. The episode features third-quarter earnings commentary from banks like F.N.B. Corp and Synovus as well as the outlook for the lodging sector, including when it is expected to recover from the COVID-19 led downturn, provided by members of the S&P Global Ratings team.

As deposits have flooded into the system and loan growth has been hard to come by, many banks find themselves drenched with excess liquidity. The dynamic has put considerable pressure on net interest margins but might not prove short-term in nature like many banks hope, according to Greg Hertrich, head of U.S. depository strategies at Nomura Securities. In the episode, Hertrich said those earnings pressures could remain in place for many banks, prompting them to consolidate branches — particularly in light of increased digital adoption — and pursue M&A activity.

Deposits have flooded into the banking system, leaving institutions sodden with excess liquidity and few attractive options to put the cash to work. In the episode, Scott Hildenbrand, head of balance sheet analysis and strategy in the financial services group at Piper Sandler, discussed the unprecedented inflow of deposits and how to measure whether the funds are short term in nature. He also talked about how banks should approach investing in the current low rate environment and what opportunities to consider.

While many investors have soured on bank stocks, Johnny Guerry, former managing partner and portfolio manager at Clover Partners, and Brad Rinschler, former director of institutional equities at Boenning & Scattergood, are launching a new fund to capitalize on the group's underperformance. In the episode, Guerry and Rinschler talk about the strategy for the new fund – Down Range Capital Management – and the investment opportunity they see as superior to the one that was available at the bottom of the Great Recession. They also discussed what they think the market is missing, why they have comfort over bank balance sheets and the eventual boost some bank stocks could receive when M&A activity resumes.

While a number of financial-focused funds have faced considerable pressure this year, some investors see opportunity amid the volatility. Andrew Wessel, former portfolio manager at Sterling Capital Management, is in that camp and is launching a new long/short financial sector focused fund called Exegis Capital. His partner in the fund, Mick Mulvaney, has a well-known career in Washington D.C., having served as acting white house chief of staff, director of OMB and acting director of the CFPB. In the episode, Wessel and Mulvaney talk about their plans to pair investment experience with the inner-workings of DC to capitalize on regulatory changes that impact the financial services. They also discussed the investment opportunities they see - mostly outside of banks - and the impact of the upcoming election .

Community banks have tapped that debt markets at torrid place in recent months, building capital levels for insurance and flexibility to take advantage of opportunities that could arise amid economic fallout from COVID-19, according to two members of Performance Trust Capital Partners. In the episode, Daryle DiLascia, partner and head of investment banking at Performance Trust, and Brian Leibfried, co-head of client insights and analytics at the firm, discuss what has driven the surge in subordinated debt issuances by community banks, which have nearly matched the levels seen in the full-year 2019, with 80% of the transactions coming in the last three months. The two advisers also highlight how their firm has landed the advisory role in many of the transactions, the coupons associated with the deals and why investors like asset managers, banks and insurance companies find the paper attractive.

Bankers have expressed optimism about loan deferral trends but some members of the Street remain concerned about the unprecedented levels of forbearance and the potential loss content sitting on U.S. bank balance sheets. The episode features commentary from executives at JPMorgan, BancorpSouth Bank, Hancock Whitney, Signature Bank, Synovus Financial, Western Alliance Bancorp and U.S. Bancorp, responding to questions from the investment community about the pace of deferrals – which allow borrowers to defer principal and interest payments - the health of customers receiving forbearance and the amount of reserves institutions might have to set aside for the credits.

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed digital adoption five years into the future, prompted banks to invest more in technology and could set the stage for fintech and bank mergers later this year. In the episode, Todd Baker, senior fellow at Columbia University and managing principal of Broadmoor Consulting; Phil Goldfeder, senior vice president of public affairs at Cross River Bank; and Greg Smith, managing director at fintech-focused investment bank FT Partners, discuss how the coronavirus has changed the way customers access financial services and increased the possibility of mergers between banks and fintechs. The episode also features commentary from executives at Citigroup and Fifth Third about the accelerated pace of digital adoption in recent months.

Bank M&A activity has nearly come to a screeching halt and deal announcements are unlikely to pick up soon. Still, Rick Childs, partner in advisory services group at Crowe LLP, said in the episode that a number of would-be cash buyers are engaging in deal talks but have agreed to longer exclusivity periods with targets given the uncertainty over the economy, asset quality and capital levels at both institutions. Childs also discussed how banks are approaching due diligence in the current environment as well as the possibility of banks terminating or recording goodwill impairments on deals announced before the COVID-19 pandemic.