JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri: In a rare move for a U.S. lender, Central Bancompany has filed to go public, targeting a valuation of up to US$5.7 billion in what could be one of the largest U.S. bank listings in years.

The Missouri-based bank aims to raise as much as $426.7 million by offering 17.8 million shares priced between $21 and $24 each, according to a filing released late last week. The planned Nasdaq listing under the ticker "CBC" would mark a notable entry into a market that has seen few traditional banks go public since the 2008 financial crisis.

Investor interest in new listings has picked up this year, but a prolonged government shutdown in October temporarily closed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), disrupting the timing of several deals.

"The U.S. government shutdown took the SEC offline at exactly the wrong time, like a DJ walking away mid-drop," said Michael Ashley Schulman, partner and chief investment officer at Running Point Capital.

Despite that setback, the autumn IPO season has been active, with high-profile listings from Klarna and Gemini generating strong demand and lifting optimism for the broader U.S. market.

U.S. bank IPOs have been few and far between over the past decade as stricter regulations, compliance costs, and market volatility discouraged lenders from seeking public listings.

"For banking and finance specialists that have seen their pool grow smaller through M&A — and the occasional bellyflop — this will be a welcome addition," Schulman said.

The last U.S. bank to go public, Commercial Bancgroup, debuted in October after filing in September and is currently trading slightly above its offer price.

Central Bancompany, headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, holds $19.2 billion in total assets and manages $15.4 billion in wealth assets for clients across Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Florida.

The offering will be led by Morgan Stanley and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, which are serving as joint lead book-running managers.

If successful, the deal could reinforce confidence in the market for regional lenders and highlight investors' growing appetite for financial-sector IPOs, even in a challenging regulatory and economic environment.