1238 ET - Investors are itching to know when the pace of large bank M&A will resume in earnest, JPMorgan analysts say in a research note. "While larger deals are not occurring at the same pace as last year, bank M&A is expected to persist as institutions seek greater scale, lower operating costs, and opportunities to enter new markets and acquire deposits in a healthy manner," they write. As it stands, the outlook for higher interest shouldn't derail progress in the deal pipeline, given that most of the industry players already weathered and steeled themselves from challenging macroeconomic conditions. There's likely still a transformation deal (or two) out there, with many investors expecting it to come before the end of the current administration.