Probably makes sense for M&T Bank to take over K Bank. M&T gets half a billion dollars in deposits and probably a good deal from the government on a similar amount of loans. M&T also took over Bradford Bank under FDIC supervision.

But M&T doesn't need the K Bank branches. All will be closed, an M&T spokesman told my colleague Lorraine Mirabella. Acquiring banks in these situations count on holding on to most of the deposits, even when they close the branches. Usually that's the way it works. But they know customers have a choice, so they typically work pretty hard to make the transition as pain-free as possible.

K Bank's Owings Mills branch is made redundant by M&T's Painters Mill office. K Bank's Ellicott City customers, if they choose to stay with the bank, will be using M&T's branch just down Route 40, at St. John's Lane. M&T also has several branches in Timonium/Cockeysville that customers of K Bank's York Road branch can use.

Likewise there's an Eldersburg M&T branch just down Liberty Road from the K Bank office that will close. And there are M&T backups in Perry Hall, Randallstown and Bel Air.