Penning a column on the current state of credit union acquisitions of banks on the cusp of an election, during a pandemic, with three days to go before the end of the third quarter, in one of the most extraordinary of years is one of the more challenging tasks I've taken on recently.

On the mergers side, activity remains muted. But that doesn't mean there aren't buyers out there looking for opportunities and sellers actively looking for buyers. The key is being able to recognize what potential transactions are truly opportunities and which aren't. That's where the right advisor can be of tremendous service. Certainly, one thing contributing to the opportunity potential is the fact that bank valuations today have declined from where they were pre-pandemic. Let's walk in the buyer's shoes for a moment.