News and analysis on California community and regional banking — M&A, rates and margins, credit, and the moves that put good bankers in play.
This is the top-of-funnel track: what's actually happening in the California market and how I read it from the search seat. When a deal closes or a rate cycle turns, it moves people, and the people part is what I watch. If you want the market read without the press-release spin, start here.
Credit cleared and commercial books grew across California banks. Royal Business Bank already staffed a Bay Area team. How I read the window.
Read → July 23, 2026Loan and deposit growth were strong. So was the dividend increase. The provision line and a $912K charge-off on a 2024 merger loan tell a different story.
Read → July 20, 2026Two California banks lost C-suite leaders this year — BayCom replaced three founders in six days, CalPrivate bridged a credit chief exit in five. What a ready bench looks like.
Read → July 13, 2026Six deals have reshaped California banking this year. Here's the scoreboard, and how I read it — whether you're doing the hiring or weighing your own next move.
Read →More lands here as Jon writes it — roughly two pieces a month.
One short email a week on California community & regional banking: who's hiring, who's merging, and where the talent is moving. Written by Jon, not a content mill.
