First Financial Bancorp in Cincinnati has agreed to buy Westfield Bancorp in Westfield Center, Ohio. The $18.5 billion-asset First Financial said in a press release that it will pay $325 million in cash and stock to Ohio Farmers Insurance Co. for the $2.2 billion-asset Westfield. The deal, which had the codename Project Artemis and is expected to close in the fourth quarter, valued Westfield at 137% of its tangible book

Fiserv in Milwaukee plans to form a digital asset platform that will include a stablecoin. The company said in a press release that it aims to add the stablecoin, to be called FIUSD, to its banking and payments infrastructure by the end of the year. FIUSD expects to use stablecoin infrastructure from Paxos and Circle Internet Group. “We are relentlessly focused on delivering state-of-the-art innovation, efficiency, and choice to all of

First National Bank Coastal Community in Wellington, Fla., has a new leader. The $503 million-asset bank said in a press release that Shaun Williams had also become its president. He was the chief lending officer at Marine Bank. “It’s an honor to lead a bank that believes in the power of relationships and local decision-making,” Williams said in the release. “Over the next year, we will focus on growing our

One America Bancorp, a newly formed bank holding company, has acquired Hopeton State Bank in Hopeton, Okla. One America, an effort led by Dallas businessman Bruce Ware, did not disclose how much it paid for the $26 million-asset bank. The new BHC will focus on serving rural communities in Oklahoma while creating a commercial banking presence in Dallas. Ware will serve as chairman and CEO, while Trent Goss, Hopeton State's president, will

A group of banking and legal professionals is seeking to open a national bank in Columbus, Ohio, that would weave stablecoins into its business plan. The proposed Erebor Bank aims to offer traditional banking products, along with virtual currency-related products and services, to businesses and individuals. The target market includes technology companies focused on virtual currencies, AI, defense, and manufacturing. Other potential clients are payment service providers, investment funds, and

Nissan Motor Acceptance Co., the financial services arm of Nissan North America, applied for an industrial loan charter. The Franklin, Tenn., company said in a press release that it submitted its application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions to form Nissan Bank U.S. The industrial bank would be based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The proposed bank will focus on commercial financing for

The Federal Reserve approved an application by the founder of Increase, a customer-facing API company, to buy Twin City Bancorp in Longview, Wash. Darragh Buckley is also listed on his LinkedIn account as a director of Washington Business Bank. Twin City is the holding company for the $70 million-asset Twin City Bank. Buckley filed to personally buy Twin City; it is unclear if his strategy involves pairing the bank with

When Eastern Bankshares in Boston first approached HarborOne Bancorp in Brockton, Mass., last fall, it was just one of many conversations that HarborOne had fielded over the years. But what began as an informal interest quickly turned into a carefully choreographed courtship — one that would test both companies’ resolve over months of talks, market volatility, and multiple revised bids. The $25 billion-asset Eastern agreed in April to buy the