Columbia eschews more M&A amid activist investor heat

Key insight: Columbia Banking System announced the latest move on its capital strategy just days after an activist investor published a related ultimatum.What's at stake: HoldCo Asset Management has staged public campaigns against four banks this year, as it pushes the companies to pursue strategies ranging from buybacks to being acquired.Supporting data: Columbia said it will repurchase up to $700 million of its own shares over the next 12 months. It had earlier said that it would probably steer away from ...