 However, First Federal rejected the deal claiming C&S's offer was insufficient and C&S ended the talks.Later, First Federal unsuccessfully sued C&S/Sovran to block the NCNB/C&S/Sovran merger.Shortly afterward, NCNB, which had grown from a one-state bank into a regional powerhouse, announced plans for a hostile takeover of C&S, and started buying up large blocks of C&S stock.