In this episode, Paul Hyde, a vice president in Booz Allen's financial services group, discusses what he calls the 'have-not' banks, which have resulted from nearly two decades of banking industry mergers. He describes their characteristics, what sets them apart from their more successful counterparts, and what strategies they should follow to survive in an environment of continued consolidation.

?These regional and super-regional 'have-nots' are challenged to differentiate themselves," said Hyde. "They must each build new business models that clearly define their value propositions for customers, and their individual rights-to-win in the marketplace.

"Looking ahead, I think we'll see continued consolidation on a national level -- particularly among the 'have-nots' that fail to find the unique niches that will allow them to compete."

Mergercast by Booz Allen is a podcast exploring the world of mergers, acquisitions and restructurings. Episode 13 has a runtime of 15 minutes and 40 seconds, and can be accessed at www.boozallen.com/mergercast. Listeners can play the podcast on its homepage or subscribe via RSS feed, e-mail or the iTunes store.

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