Following two of the largest mergers and acquisitions Connecticut’s banking industry has ever seen, the chasm between larger lenders and community banks has widened even further. The pending acquisition of People’s United Financial by New York’s M&T Bank announced in February will create a regional behemoth with $200 billion in total assets. People’s United’s home-state rival Webster Financial wasted no time responding, announcing last month a merger with New York-based Sterling National Bank, which will have $63 billion in combined assets. Once the deals are finalized, those banks will be able to make larger loans and invest more in technology and talent, increasing their ability to compete with national players such as fellow Connecticut deposit leaders Bank of America, Wells Fargo and TD Bank.