The bottom line
Regulatory and capital pressures along with increased competition from nonbanks and international players will probably
make the U.S. banking sector more competitive in 2014. Large banks’ broad efforts to specialize and smaller banks’
need for scale could result in a more active M&A market. Banks should ensure that such M&A moves complement
their specialization strategy and provide them the operational flexibility to adapt to changing environments. In addition,
involving regulators early in the process could help banks in their due diligence and potentially overcome approval delays.
In response to nonbank competition, banks can seek partnerships where opportunity for innovation exists, and continue
to build their expertise in data privacy and security – a necessity for success in financial services.