Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: ISTR) (“Investar” or “the company”), headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA, is a $2.8 billion-asset bank holding company for Investar Bank, National Association (“the bank”), established in 2006. ISTR’s commercially focused, high-touch banking model is centered on lending to small and medium sized businesses across secondary and underserved markets throughout its heritage markets in LA (Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans), with its more contemporary footprint encompassing AL (York, Oxford).
ISTR’s growth has been supplemented by M&As, closing on seven full bank acquisitions and a branch transaction since 2011, with the most recent full bank transaction in 2021 (Oxford, AL-based Cheaha Financial Group, Inc.), precipitated by the bank’s conversion to a national charter in 2019.
The company’s loan mix reflects moderate C&I (including owner-occupied CRE) concentrations, which is diversified by industry,…
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