Banking giant BB&T Corp.’s grand entrance into Chester County is now permanent, and local residents will start to see just how widespread its first appearance really is this summer when the conversion of all National Penn Bancshares branches becomes visible.

BB&T’s $1.8 billion deal for National Penn was just finalized — right on the heels of the company’s $2.5 billion deal to acquire Susquehanna Bancshares, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported in an article by Jeff Blumenthal.

With the two deals, BB&T instantly becomes the Philly area’s seventh-largest deposit holder. And while BB&T faces the fiercest competition from large national banks, other local players are making moves in the changing banking landscape.

Downingtown-based DNB First, for example, just bought East River Bank for $49 million as a means to grow and remain competitive.

The BB&T story isn’t all growth, though. Some of the bank’s new branches overlap in Chester County, possibly resulting in some branch closures and job cuts.

Read more about BB&T’s plans now that its National Penn deal is final in the Philadelphia Business Journal here, and check out VISTA Today coverage of DNB First’s move here.

Previous coverage of BB&T’s deals can be found here.