(Reuters) -U.S. regional banks are ramping up mergers, fueled by expectations of a lighter regulatory approach under the Trump administration and the quest for bigger balance sheets that will help compete better against larger lenders amid economic and operational pressures. On Monday, in the biggest U.S. bank deal this year, Fifth Third Bancorp agreed to buy regional lender Comerica in an all-stock deal for $10.9 billion, creating the ninth-largest lender in the country. Here is an overview of the biggest deals in the space this year: Target Acquirer Deal Value Date Announced Pinnacle Financial $8.6 24-Jul Synovus Partners billion Financial* PNC Financial $4.1 8-Sep FirstBank billion Columbia Banking $2 billion 23-Apr Pacific Premier System Bancorp Huntington $1.9 14-Jul Veritex Bancshare

See Full Page