The group looking to form Tidestone Bank in Coral Gables, Fla., already have banking chops. Organizers include members of the Monasterio family, who own Banco Ganadero in Bolivia, and Lou Ferreira, a former national bank examiner. Ferreira, set to become president and CEO, was previously brought in to remediate issues at Eastern National Bank in Miami, which was operating under a consent order. The Monasterio family once tried to buy a controlling

Pinnacle Financial in Elberton, Ga., rebranded after it acquired Morris State Bancshares in Dublin, Ga. The $4 billion-asset Pinnacle became Vallant Financial just before the deal closing. The combined bank was legally rebranded as Vallant Bank, though the predecessor brands will remain in place until the systems conversion later this quarter.

Dave Mayo, who founded FedFis and Bankers Helping Bankers, has died. FedFis announced Mayo's passing via a LinkedIn post. "Dave may no longer be with us, but his spirit lives on in the community he built," the post said. "Every time you share a memory and tag Bankers Helping Bankers, you’re keeping that spirit alive — and something tells us he’ll feel every one of them."

Hope Bancorp in Los Angeles has agreed to buy the commercial banking unit of SMBC MANUBANK. The $18.5 billion-asset Hope said in a press release that it will enter into a collaboration and partnership agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. to provide commercial and consumer banking services to SMBC’s Japanese midsize business and retail customers. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year. The price

Edgar County Banc Shares in Paris, Ill., has agreed to buy Preferred Bancorp in Casey, Ill. Edgar County, the parent of the $676 million-asset Prospect Bank, said in an announcement that it plans to buy the holding company for the $73.3 million-asset Preferred Bank later this year. The price wasn't disclosed. Preferred Bank President Kenneth Scott plans to retire.

CRB Group in Fort Lee, N.J., has raised $50 million to fuel growth initiatives at Cross River Bank. The company said in a press release that the funding round included existing investors, including accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management. "We're proud to announce that T. Rowe Price deepened its investment in Cross River,” Gilles Gade, Cross River's founder, chairman and CEO, said in a release. “We thank T.

Intercredit Bank in Miami plans to close its branches and shift to a digital-only strategy using its Pibank brand. Pibank, launched in the United States in 2024, has more than $2 billion of assets. The move to a branchless, cashless, digital-first model should be completed by this summer. “The transition to a fully digital model reflects what we have built to-date through Pibank, and we will now continue to build

Eagle Bancorp in Bethesda, Md., tossed out three board nominees proposed by activist investor Diligence Capital Management. The company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it invalidated the nominees, along with four shareholder proposals from Diligence, because the investor’s notice failed to comply with its amended bylaws. Eagle also said that Diligence was not a shareholder of record. Diligence owns less than 0.1% of Eagle outstanding stock. Separately, Eagle said