This week's most read content includes an analysis of the changes to Investors Bancorp's balance sheet and stories about two Georgia bank deals.

Investors Bancorp repositions balance sheet with 'smart strategic move'

Investors Bancorp Inc.'s sale of about $665 million of its lower yielding mortgage-backed debt securities marked another step to shift the bank's funding base and protect the net interest margin in a rising interest rate environment.

Ameris' acquisition of Fidelity Southern 'alleviates No. 1 pressure on earnings'

Ameris Bancorp's pending acquisition of Fidelity Southern Corp. "greatly alleviates the No. 1 pressure on earnings that [the] industry is facing," Ameris' CEO said during a deal call this week.

Colony Bankcorp acquiring LBC Bancshares in $34.1M cash-and-stock deal

The deal, slated to close in the first half of 2019, is expected to be accretive to Colony Bankcorp Inc.'s fully diluted EPS, excluding transaction costs.

Robinhood's botched savings account launch could throw IPO into limbo

A day after launching Robinhood Checking & Savings, the trading startup rebranded the product as a cash management program. The misleading announcement cast a shadow of doubt over Robinhood Markets Inc. just as it ramps up plans to pursue an IPO in 2019.

Banks gear up for CECL practice run

The effective date of the loan loss accounting standard is more than a year away, but many banks are preparing to run a second allowance calculation in parallel with their operations. The model could help them size up new allowances more accurately.