2021-24875. Formations of, Acquisitions by, and Mergers of Bank Holding Companies

The companies listed in this notice have applied to the Board for approval, pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq. ) (BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part 225), and all other applicable statutes and regulations to become a bank holding company and/or to acquire the assets or the ownership of, control of, or the power to vote shares of a bank or bank holding company and all of the banks and nonbanking companies owned by the bank holding company, including the companies listed below.

The public portions of the applications listed below, as well as other related filings required by the Board, if any, are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank(s) indicated below and at the offices of the Board of Governors. This information may also be obtained on an expedited basis, upon request, by contacting the appropriate Federal Reserve Bank and from the Board's Freedom of Information Office at https://www.federalreserve.gov/​foia/​request.htm. Interested persons may express their views in writing on the standards enumerated in the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)).

Comments regarding each of these applications must be received at the Reserve Bank indicated or the offices of the Board of Governors, Ann E. Misback, Secretary of the Board, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20551-0001, not later than December 15, 2021.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Ivan Hurwitz, Senior Vice President) 33 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10045-0001. Comments can also be sent electronically to [e-mail]:

1. Valley National Bancorp, New York, New York; to acquire Bank Leumi Le-Israel Corporation, and thereby indirectly acquire Bank Leumi USA, both of New York, New York.

B. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Erien O. Terry, Assistant Vice President) 1000 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Comments can also be sent electronically to [e-mail]:

1. Business First Bancshares, Inc., Baton Rouge, Louisiana; to merge with Texas Citizens Bancorp, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire Texas Citizens Bank, N.A., both of Pasadena, Texas.

C. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (Chris P. Wangen, Assistant Vice President), 90 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55480-0291. Comments can also be sent electronically to [e-mail]:

1. First Interstate BancSystem, Inc., Billings, Montana; to merge with Great Western Bancorp, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire Great Western Bank, both of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, November 9, 2021.

Michele Taylor Fennell,

Deputy Associate Secretary of the Board.