Fewer big banks consolidating

Bank consolidation is expected to continue apace as the number of failures continues to grow in Florida and on the Gulf Coast. But most of the bigger banks on the Gulf Coast have been acquired, either with or without government assistance. These include Orion Bank, Bank of Florida's bank subsidiaries in Naples and Tampa, Florida Community Bank and TIB Bank.

In fact, of the 69 banks based on the Gulf Coast, there are just four left with more than $1 billion in assets today: Raymond James Bank, IronStone Bank, TIB Bank and Synovus Bank.

For larger bank companies to enter the Gulf Coast market, they'll have to cobble together smaller banks to gain a meaningful foothold in the region. A list published on June 30 by investment banking firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lists 38 publicly traded banks that might be acquirers in the next year, though it doesn't say how many plan to expand in Florida through acquisitions.

Some of the publicly traded banks on the KBW acquirers list are familiar to Gulf Coast bankers, including BB&T and IberiaBank. Others are more obscure. These include BancorpSouth of Tupelo, Miss., and Home BancShares of Conway, Ark.