In this M&A outlook, deal lawyers Jonathan Hightower and Rob Klingler outline what to expect in the year ahead for bank mergers and acquisitions: larger deals in metro markets, driven in part by the lifting of arbitrary regulatory asset thresholds; acquisitions of smaller rural banks by investor groups seeking an alternative to de novo formation that provides a revenue stream from day one; and more acquisitions by smaller banks with solid deposit bases and greater flexibility to finance deals with debt.