From Merger to Momentum - How Proactive Data Strategy Supports Growth by M&A

What You’ll Learn

In this guide, you’ll learn how banking at Renasant Bank, Camden National Bank and Hanscom Federal Credit Union used modern data architecture to simplify recent M&A activities.

You’ll hear how banking leaders accelerated integration, unified operations, and created strategic advantage, without losing sight of culture or customer trust.

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Are You Preparing for Growth By M&A?

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be transformative for financial institutions, offering opportunities for geographic expansion, increased deposits, and enhanced service capabilities. But success hinges on one crucial element: a proactive, modern data strategy. With the right foundation in place, banks and credit unions can move from merger to momentum, capitalizing on growth opportunities before Legal Day One, managing risk and integration during the technical merger, and positioning the combined entity for long-term innovation and operational infrastructure scalability.

In this whitepaper, we will hear from three banking leaders who navigated growth by merger and acquisition in 2025. Insights include:

How Camden National Bank completed technical M&A integration in just 10 weeks;
How Renasant Bank scaled across new markets with a simplified data foundation;
How Hanscom Federal Credit Union planned for seamless execution prior to Legal Day One;
Why data modernization is your strongest hedge against risk and disruption; and
The three stages of M&A, and how to win at each.

This Guide Features

Meet Our Banking Leaders

Troy Carmichael, SVP and Director of Enterprise Data Management at Renasant Bank

Renasant Bank completed Legal Day One for its acquisition of The First Bancshares in April 2025, adding over $7 billion in assets and expanding its regional footprint. With Technical Day One approaching, Troy is leveraging Snowflake and Qlik Talend Cloud Integration to support a seamless integration between the two entities. His focus includes cultural onboarding, regulatory preparation, and maintaining operational continuity across a significantly expanded geography.

“One of the reasons banks want to be part of us is what we’ve done with the data stack. We’re smaller than the biggest banks, but we’re more agile because we’ve kept the complexity out.”

Josh Nash, SVP and Director of IT at Camden National Bank

Camden National Bank completed its acquisition of Northway Bank in early 2025, expanding into New Hampshire and adding $1.3 billion in assets. This was Josh’s sixth acquisition, and notably, the first executed using a modern data architecture including Snowflake and Talend. The bank used a “rip and replace” strategy for systems and completed technical integration just ten weeks after Legal Day One, thanks to strong pre-planning and automation.

“You’re not going to do great things by gently walking in. Be decisive. Provide clarity. Limit uncertainty. That’s what moves the organization forward.”

Jared Silver, SVP of Innovation and Data Strategy at Hanscom Federal Credit Union

Hanscom FCU is in the final stages of preparing for its first bank acquisition in nearly a decade – People’s Bank of Maryland – which will grow its assets to over $2 billion. The acquisition is a strategic move to increase commercial lending and expand into the Mid-Atlantic. Jared, a first-time M&A leader, is focused on compliance and communication ahead of Legal Day One, with significant emphasis on using data to understand the new member base and mitigate risk.

“So much more is possible today than it was yesterday… The modernization we’ve done in the data stack is setting us up as a diving board to do modernization in other areas.”

Meet Our Banking Leaders

Learn more about banking leaders from Renasant Bank, Camden National Bank and Hanscom Federal Credit Union.

Navigating the M&A Climate in 2025

Explore the factors that are impacting M&A for regional banks and credit unions.

Laying a Data Foundation to Acquire or Be Acquired

Discover how banks and credit unions are using their data estate as a strategic asset in M&A transactions.

Preparing for Legal Day One

Learn how our banking leaders navigated constraints with strategic planning.

Execution on Technical Day One

Hear practical steps for a smooth and controlled Technical Day One.