Here's why this Pittsburgh bank stands to gain from the BB&T/SunTrust merger

The biggest bank deal in recent years doesn’t touch southwestern Pennsylvania per se, but it could pave a path to new opportunities for one of Pittsburgh’s largest banks. It may also signal the next large financial institution to enter the region. BB&T Corp., based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and SunTrust Banks Inc. of Atlanta (NYSE:STI) announced plans to merge in a $66 billion all-stock transaction that will create the nation’s sixth-largest bank with assets of $442 billion.