New York, February 2, 2026, 11:20 EST — Regular session underway.
- Shares climbed roughly 2% in late morning trading following the bank’s announcement that it completed the Cadence deal.
- The lender sold the merger as a quicker route into Texas and the South, boasting a bigger balance sheet and wider branch network.
- Investors are now focused on execution—dilution, integration costs, and when the customer system conversion will actually happen.
Huntington Bancshares shares climbed 1.9% to $17.82 on Monday following the announcement that the regional bank had finalized its merger with Cadence Bank.
The close matters because it resets Huntington’s growth map. The bank announced it is now the eighth-largest in Texas and claims the top spot in Mississippi by deposit market share. The merged entity holds roughly $279 billion in assets.
The hard work begins now. CEO Steve Steinour described the deal as a “springboard for growth,” while James D. Rollins III emphasized that customers stand to gain from Huntington’s expanded services. For the time being, Cadence customers will continue banking as usual, with a planned transition of accounts to Huntington’s systems slated for mid-2026. Huntington Bancshares Incorporated
A securities filing revealed Cadence shareholders got 2.475 Huntington shares for every Cadence common share — that’s the exchange ratio — with Huntington issuing about 462 million new shares as part of the merger deal. The filing also noted Huntington expanded its board to 15 directors, bringing in three former Cadence directors.
The stock move followed broader trends. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF climbed around 1.9%, with the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF gaining about 0.7%. Shares of KeyCorp, PNC Financial Services Group, and U.S. Bancorp each rose between 1.7% and 1.9%.
Huntington revealed the $7.4 billion acquisition back in October, structuring it as an all-stock deal instead of using cash. RBC Capital Markets weighed in, noting the purchase “fits nicely” with Huntington’s strategy to expand beyond the Midwest. Reuters
But a smooth closing doesn’t ensure a seamless integration. Investors will be on alert for cost overruns, customer losses during the transition, and whether credit conditions remain stable in new markets as Huntington takes on a hefty portfolio of loans and deposits.
Huntington has set its first-quarter 2026 earnings call for April 23 at 9 a.m. ET, with results coming out before the market opens, the company said. This will be the first opportunity to see the initial financial impact of the Cadence integration.
