Determinants of mergers and acquisitions among Finnish cooperative and savings banks

This study is the first to examine mergers and acquisitions among small, regional stakeholder banks that belong to the same group. Using data on Finnish unlisted cooperative and savings banks, we investigate the relationship between bank-specific factors and the likelihood of a bank being an acquirer or an acquisition target. We find that large banks tend to acquire small and inefficient banks. Additionally, we examine the loan growth and find a negative (positive), statistically significant association with the likelihood of a bank being an acquisition target (acquirer). Finally, we document an increase in the likelihood of a bank being an acquisition target subsequent to an increase in the share of net fees and commission income against total assets.