Big brother

With net income of nearly $313 million, and asset growth just below 18%, 2014 was clearly a good year for Gulf Coast based banks.

And while an improving economy might suggest more of the same in 2015, there's a good chance the number of banks that call the Gulf Coast home will be a lot smaller by the end of the decade.

“Over time, banks will come to the realization that the best way to maximize their investment is to get together with somebody else,” says Joe Chillura, CEO of Clearwater-based USAmeriBank, which grew its assets 6% last year to $3.1 billion. “It's healthy because it promotes larger institutions with stronger balance sheets that will have a better management team in place to sustain themselves through the up and down market shifts.”