CINCINNATI —

Fifth Third Bank's home base is at Cincinnati's Fountain Square, the beating heart of the Queen City. On Monday, Fifth Third announced its acquisition of Comerica, a regional lender based in Dallas, in a $10.9 billion deal that will create the ninth-largest bank in the U.S. and expand Fifth Third's reach into Texas, California, and Arizona.

David Brasington, an economics professor at the University of Cincinnati's Lindner College of Business, said, "My initial impression is that it's great for the city because Fifth Third is a thriving institution and this will probably just make it really stronger." Advertisement

Brasington sees value in Fifth Third taking ownership of bank branches in new and growing markets. "There's some overlap already with Michigan and Florida, but

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