The year 2016 was filled with tumult and that had a negative impact on activity in the bank mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, while higher bank stock prices are adding to the uncertainty. Will higher stock prices last? Will they lead to higher valuations in the months ahead? This article takes a look at M&A activity in 2016 with an eye toward how the environment could impact pricing and trends in 2017. After posting 285 healthy bank acquisitions in 2014 and 279 deals in 2015, the market slipped back to 241 last year, according to data provided by S&P Global...