Business
BROOKFIELD BANCSHARES, INC. AND FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BROOKFIELD ANNOUNCE EXECUTION OF MERGER AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE NSTS BANCORP, INC. AND NORTH SHORE TRUST AND SAVINGS
BROOKFIELD, Ill. and WAUKEGAN, Ill., May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Bancshares, Inc. (“Brookfield”), the holding company for First National Bank of Brookfield (“FNBB”), and NSTS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSTS) (“NSTS”), the holding company for North Shore Trust and Savings (“North Shore”), today jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement in which Brookfield will acquire NSTS and North Shore in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $73.7 million. North Shor

About this update from Brookfield Asset Management Inc
[{"type":"text","content":"BROOKFIELD, Ill. and WAUKEGAN, Ill., May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Bancshares, Inc. (“Brookfield”), the holding company for First National Bank of Brookfield (“FNBB”), and NSTS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSTS) (“NSTS”), the holding company for North Shore Trust and Savings (“North Shore”), today jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement in which Brookfield will acquire NSTS and North Shore in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $73.7 million. North Shore will continue to operate under its existing name and federal savings association charter as a subsidiary of Brookfield.","length":621,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"North Shore’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen G. Lear, will remain on North Shore’s board of directors after the acquisition. One additional individual, to be mutually agreed to by the parties, from North Shore’s current board of directors or from the communities served by North Shore, will also serve on the board of directors. Following the closing of the transaction, Brookfield’s two banking subsidiaries will operate a total of four branches in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA and will have an aggregate of over $600 million in assets.","length":557,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Under the terms of the merger agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Brookfield and NSTS, NSTS stockholders will receive approximately $14.28 in cash for each share of NSTS common stock owned. The transaction is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals, NSTS stockholder approval, and other closing conditions. Subject to and upon completion of the transaction, NSTS’s shares will no longer trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market.","length":561,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"“We are excited to join forces with the North Shore team and expand our presence into the Waukegan market,” said Phil Richard, President & CEO of FNBB. “We will continue to provide the same level of service that customers are accustomed to receiving and look forward to broadening the banking products and services that North Shore can offer its clients.”","length":359,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Mr. Lear added, “Brookfield has a tremendous rep...