A group led by banking veterans is looking to open a de novo in Edmond, Okla. Organizers of the proposed Novus Bank applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on March 17. The group began planning the bank about a year ago, said Jim Canton, who is expected to serve as chairman and CEO. The management team would also include Jason Casey as president, and Mel Barnes as chief operating

Blue Ridge Bankshares in Charlottesville, Va., will sell certain assets of its Monarch Mortgage division to an unnamed buyer. The company said in a press release that the deal should close by the end of this month; the pricing wasn't disclosed. The decision "was an additional step in our strategy to refocus our efforts on community banking in our primary geographical footprint," G. William Beale, Blue Ridge's president and CEO,

Legacy Community Federal Credit Union has agreed to buy First Community Bank of Cullman in Alabama. The $642.9 million-asset Legacy did not disclose how much it will pay Southern Community Bancshares as part of the all-cash transaction for the $103.6 million-asset First Community. The deal is expected to close later this year. First Community has one branch, $80.9 million in loans and $79.3 million in deposits. Hovde Group, which announced

Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, Va., has invested in Curql Fund II The $180 billion-asset credit union did not disclose how much it invested in the fund, which is operated by Curql, a collective with more than 130 credit unions. “Providing the best possible service to our members is always our focus at Navy Federal, and we also believe strongly in the value all credit unions bring to their

A group of bankers with ties to Grand Savings Bank in Grove, Okla., has agreed to buy Stark Bancshares in Bolivar, Mo. Steele Acquisition includes Tony Steele, Grand Savings' chairman and biggest investor, and CEO Guy Cable. Stark is the holding company for the $124.4 million-asset LimeBank. The price wasn't disclosed, though Steele is looking to raise about $12.5 million through a private placement.

Cornerstone Bank in Spencer, Mass., said its leader will step down in 2026. The $1.6 billion-asset bank said that Randall Webber will retire as its president early next year. He has led Cornerstone since January 2020. Cornerstone, which recently agreed to merge with the $4.2 billion-asset PeoplesBank in Holyoke, Mass., did not announce a successor.

A group in New Jersey is looking to form a de novo bank. Organizers of the proposed Liberty Bank of New Jersey applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the New Jersey Department of Banking on Insurance on March 4. The bank would have a branch in Verona with its corporate headquarters in Short Hills. The proposed bank "intends to opportunistically and prudently expand into other attractive markets throughout northern

NovoPayment, a Miami fintech that builds financial infrastructure in Latin America, has a new CEO. The company hired Rodrigo Rodas to step into the leadership role. He was a managing partner at IDC Ventures, a NovoPayment investor, and a co-founder of Rewardsweb, a loyalty rewards platform. NovoPayment also rehired Rama Ituarte to return as chief technology officer. He led tech strategy before leaving to join Synchrony. “This is a pivotal