Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

New York Community to cut 700 jobs at its bank

New York Community Bancorp in Hicksville is planning to cut about 700 jobs at its bank. The $119.1 billion-asset company said in a press release that the cuts represent about 8% of Flagstar Bank’s workforce. Another 1,200 jobs will go away when the company completes the previously announced sale of its mortgage servicing business to […]

FNB in Pittsburgh sells indirect auto loans at loss

FNB Corp. in Pittsburgh sold a portfolio of indirect auto loans at a loss. The $48 billion-asset FNB said in a press release that it sold $431 million of performing loans in September as part of a balance sheet repositioning. The company said it lost $11.6 million from the sale, though it also improved the […]

Jewel Box Financial to buy Wisconsin River Bank

Jewel Box Financial Services in Columbus, Wis., has agreed to buy Wisconsin River Bank in Sauk City, Wis. The $505 million-asset parent of Farmers and Merchants Union Bank did not disclose how much it will pay for the $182 million-asset Wisconsin River Bank. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter. “Wisconsin River […]

OceanFirst buys mortgage lender, finance firm for real estate developers

OceanFirst Financial in Red Bank, N.J., incurred costs in the third quarter after buying a mortgage lender and a finance business focused on real estate developers. The $13.5 billion-asset company said in a press release that it spent $1.7 million in the quarter tied to its purchase of Garden State Home Loans in Cherry Hill, […]

Axiom in Fla. hit with formal agreement tied to BSA, third-party oversight

Axiom Bank entered into a formal agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency that flagged the Maitland, Fla., bank for unsafe or unsound practices tied to the Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money laundering compliance and third-party management. The OCC required the $850 million-asset bank to form a compliance committee with at least three […]

First Liberty National to buy Coastal Bancshares in Texas

First Liberty National Bancshares in Liberty, Texas, has agreed to buy Coastal Bancshares in Pearland, Texas. The parent of the $501 million-asset First Liberty Bank will exchange an undisclosed amount of stock for Coastal, Performance Trust Capital Partners announced on LinkedIn. Performance Trust advised Coastal Bancshares. Coastal is the holding company of the $192 million-asset Pearland […]

Texas Capital reports 3Q loss after selling $1.2B of securities

Texas Capital Bancshares in Dallas, which reported a quarterly loss after repositioning its securities portfolio and incurring restructuring costs, said it is still on track to hit its long-term performance targets. The $31.6 billion-asset company said in a press release that it lost $65.6 million in the third quarter. The results included a $179.6 million […]

Webster reports lower 3Q profit due to selling factoring ops, securities

Webster Financial in Stamford, Conn., reported lower quarterly profit after it sold more underwater securities, incurred restructuring expenses and divested its factoring operations. The $79.5 billion-asset company said in a press release that its third-quarter earnings fell by 15% from a year earlier, to $188.8 million. Webster reported a $19.6 million pretax net loss from […]

Berkshire Hills in Mass. sells Upstart loans at a loss

Berkshire Hills Bancorp in Boston sold a portfolio of Upstart-related consumer loans at a loss. The company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it sold $46.5 million of loans at 96% of book value, resulting in a $1.9 million net chargeoff on the sale.  Berkshire said it still holds about $10 million of Upstart-related consumer […]

Burke & Herbert in Virginia fulfills pledge to form charitable foundation

Burke & Herbert Financial Services in Alexandria, Va., has fulfilled a pledge for its purchase of Summit Financial Group by creating a charitable foundation. The $8.3 billion-asset company said in a press release that it had formed the Burke & Herbert Bank Foundation to provide targeted support to local organizations. Burke & Herbert said when […]

Wisconsin mortgage lender to pay $10M to settle redlining claims

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle redlining claims. The Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also hit the Madison, Wis., mortgage lender with a consent order alleging that the lender discriminated against applicants in Black neighborhoods in Birmingham, Ala. Fairway operates in Birmingham as MortgageBanc. “This case […]

New York Community to rebrand as Flagstar Financial

New York Community Bancorp in Hicksville will rebrand as Flagstar Financial. The $119 billion-asset company said in a press release that the name change will take place on Oct. 25. The rebrand marks “another milestone in our ongoing transformation,” Joseph Otting, the company’s chairman, president and CEO, said in the press release. “Over the past […]

Lowndes Bancshares in Ga. buys FMB Bancshares

Lowndes Bancshares in Valdosta, Ga., has acquired FMB Bancshares in Lakeland, Ga. The deal was disclosed by Performance Trust Capital Partners, which advised FMB. The price wasn’t disclosed. Farmers & Merchants Bank, FMB’s $695 million-asset bank, will continue to operate as a separate bank. Lowndes is the holding company for the $355 million-asset Commercial Banking […]

Border Bancshares in N.D. raises $5.2M via private placement

Border Bancshares in Fargo, N.D., has raised $5.2 million after selling common stock. The holding company for the $953 million-asset Border Bank completed a private placement on Oct. 8, according to data compiled by Performance Trust Capital Partners. The data did not disclose the pricing or the investors.

Fieldpoint in Conn. raises capital to address written agreement

Fieldpoint Private Bank & Trust in Greenwich, Conn., which is operating under a written agreement with the Federal Reserve, raised $5 million in a private placement. Fieldpoint Private Holdings, the parent company of the $1.4 billion-asset bank, raised the capital by selling stock on Oct. 7, according to data compiled by Performance Trust Capital Partners. […]

Securities sales cut into profit at FB Financial in Tennessee

FB Financial in Nashville, Tenn., reported lower quarterly profit that reflected its decision to sell underwater securities. The $12.9 billion-asset company said in a press release that its third-quarter earnings fell by 47% from a year earlier, to $10.2 million. FB Financial said it sold $318.6 million of available-for-sale securities at a $40.2 million loss. […]

National Bank of Arizona selects insider as its new CEO

National Bank of Arizona in Tucson has a new CEO. The $5 billion-asset bank said in a press release that Mark Stebbings had become its leader. The bank is a unit of Zions Bancorp. in Salt Lake City. Stebbings, who was the bank’s director of specialty and commercial real estate lending, succeeded Mark Young, who […]

Bankwell in Conn. says $8.2M chargeoff will impact 3Q results

Bankwell Financial Group in New Canaan, Conn., said its third-quarter results will be hit by an $8.2 million charge-off. The $3.1 billion-asset company said in a regulatory filing that the charge-off is tied to a $13.7 million commercial real estate loan. The loan is secured by a Class A suburban New Jersey office park, where […]

Bravera Holdings to buy VISIONBank in North Dakota

Bravera Holdings in Dickinson, N.D., has agreed to buy VISIONBank in Fargo, N.D. The $3.2 billion-asset Bravera said in a press release that it plans to complete its purchase of the $266 million-asset VISIONBank later this year. The price wasn’t disclosed. VISIONBank will continue to operate under its current name. “This is a strategic move […]

Citadel FCU pledges $6.5M to address redlining claims

Citadel Federal Credit Union in Exton, Pa., agreed to pay about $6.5 million to address claims that it failed to provide mortgage lending services to majority Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia. The Department of Justice accused the $5.8 billion-asset credit union of redlining between 2017 and 2021. Citadel will provide $6 million […]

Home in Ark. set aside $16.7M to cover potential Helene-related loan losses

Home BancShares in Conway, Ark., added $16.7 million to its loan-loss allowance to cover potential losses from Hurricane Helene. The hurricane made landfall late last month. The specific loan-loss reserve was recorded in the third quarter. “Due to the widespread devastation of Helene, it will take time to get clarity from customers on damages incurred, […]

Territorial investor vows to vote against Hawaiian company’s sale

An investor in Territorial Bancorp has vowed to vote against the Honolulu company’s pending sale to Hope Bancorp in Los Angeles. Yakira Capital Management in Westport, Conn., which owns about 1.2% of the $2.2 billion-asset Terrotorial’s common stock, said in a press release that the company’s board “is not acting in the best financial interest […]

State Bank of Southern Utah selects insider as its CEO

State Bank of Southern Utah in Cedar City will have a new CEO in 2025. The $2.5 billion-asset bank said in a press release that Trevor Andersen will also become its president on Jan. 14. He is the bank’s chief lending officer. “Trevor has a visionary approach to leadership and is well-equipped to navigate the […]

Family Savings Credit Union to buy two Ala. branches from Merit Bank

Family Savings Credit Union in Rainbow City, Ala., has agreed to buy two branches from Merit Bank in Huntsville, Ala. The $1 billion-asset credit union did not disclose the price it will pay the $400 million-asset Merit. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2025. The branches include $27 million in […]

MainStreet in Va. to report 3Q loss to address nonperforming loans

MainStreet Bancshares in Fairfax, Va., expects to report a third-quarter loss due to nonperforming loans. The $2.1 billion-asset company said in a press release that it would likely lose 4 cents a share in the quarter after charging off $1.9 million to successfully offload $21.8 million in nonperforming loans. The loans, originated between March 2020 […]