The Potential for a New Round of Bank Mergers

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2006/05/regions-bank.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1440;s:4:"file";s:24:"2006/05/regions-bank.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-336x252.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-771x578.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:578;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-768x576.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:576;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"regions-bank-1536x1152.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:1152;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"regions-bank-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-800x450.jpg";s:5:"width";i:800;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-415x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-353x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"regions-bank-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:1522489;s:14:"optimized_size";i:467295;s:7:"percent";d:69.310000000000002;}s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:52:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:1286544;s:14:"optimized_size";i:299925;s:7:"percent";d:76.689999999999998;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:6034;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4472;s:7:"percent";d:25.890000000000001;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-336x252.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:19705;s:14:"optimized_size";i:14138;s:7:"percent";d:28.25;}s:5:"large";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-771x578.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:91377;s:14:"optimized_size";i:63806;s:7:"percent";d:30.170000000000002;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:42340;s:14:"optimized_size";i:29960;s:7:"percent";d:29.239999999999998;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:21126;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15174;s:7:"percent";d:28.170000000000002;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-415x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:28532;s:14:"optimized_size";i:20451;s:7:"percent";d:28.32;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-353x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:21762;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15635;s:7:"percent";d:28.149999999999999;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:60:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2006/05/regions-bank-125x125.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:5069;s:14:"optimized_size";i:3734;s:7:"percent";d:26.34;}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1654483842 
1466398830

Birmingham’s banking industry is not what it used to be. After major acquisitions in the 2000s and the Great Recession, Birmingham is left with two big banks: Regions and BBVA Compass, which was snapped up by a Spanish financial giant. While all that activity has died down, there’s chatter we could see a pick up in mergers and acquisitions among banks. We start there in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.

 

Young offenders are often denied credit for “dead time” behind bars

Juvenile detention systems often deny young offenders credit for the time they spend waiting behind bars

From bromance to breakup: How Elon Musk and Donald Trump blew up

The blow up marks the end of an alliance between the president and the billionaire that lasted far longer than many observers expected.

Fans drive huge Nintendo Switch 2 launch; others play the waiting game

Criticized for its high cost but still selling out nearly everywhere, Nintendo's sequel to their popular Switch console releases as a trade war squeezes the video game industry.

Israel says it’s arming clans to fight Hamas in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the government was arming factions in the Gaza Strip to combat Hamas, after accusations from an opposition politician.

Trump’s travel ban includes Afghanistan, where thousands await U.S. resettlement

President Trump's travel ban on a dozen countries includes Afghanistan. Since American troops left in August of 2021, many Afghans have already arrived in the U.S. but many more are still waiting.

After his mother’s death, Ocean Vuong wrote his way out of grief

Vuong's new novel, The Emperor of Gladness, is the first he's written, from start to finish, since his mother died in 2019. He says writing it was a way to honor her memory.

More Economy Coverage