First Hawaiian in Honolulu restructured its securities portfolio. The company said in a press release that it sold $293 million of lower-yielding available-for-sale debt securities at an after-tax loss of $19.7 million. Proceeds were reinvested in $293 million of higher-yielding debt securities. The transaction should increase net interest income by about $8.6 million and expand the net interest margin by about 4 basis points in 2025. First Hawaiian said it

Carter Bankshares in Martinsville, Va., has agreed to buy deposits in North Carolina from First Reliance Bancshares in Florence, S.C. The $4.6 billion-asset Carter said in a press release that the deal includes deposits at branches in Mooresville and Winston-Salem. It will also buy the Winston-Salem branch. Carter will pay a 4.6% deposit premium on the average closing balance of the sum of noninterest and interest-bearing transaction accounts, savings and

Central Ohio Bancorp in Waverly has raised capital. The parent of the $229 million-asset First National Bank of Waverly brought in $1.1 million by selling common stock, according to data compiled by Performance Trust Capital Partners. The data did not detail the pricing, shares sold, or investors.

Northeast Bank in Portland, Maine, is raising $75 million by selling common stock. The $3.9 billion-asset bank said in a press release that it is conducting an at-the-marketing offering through Piper Sandler and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. Northeast said it plans to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including support of additional growth.

Independent Bank Corp. in Rockland, Mass., has agreed to buy Enterprise Bancorp in Lowell, Mass. The $20 billion-asset Independent said in a press release that it will pay $562 million in cash and stock for the $4.7 billion-asset Enterprise. The deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2025, priced Enterprise at 155% of its tangible book value. Independent plans to raise about $250 million by issuing

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a lawsuit against Comerica for alleged deficiencies related to the Dallas company's administration of the Direct Express program. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, claims that the $71.8 billion-asset Comerica deliberately disconnected customer service calls, charged illegal ATM fees, and mishandled customer complaints, among other things. The CFBP wants a judge to order Comerica to end those

Altos Bank has opened in Los Altos, Calif. The de novo opened on Nov. 25, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Organizers were required to raise $25 million before opening. Tom Vertin, former president and CEO of Golden State Bank, is Altos Bank’s CEO. Four new banks have opened this year: Altos; Nova Bank in Huntsville, Ala.; Integrity Bank in Houston; and Four States Bank in Carthage, Mo.

Elemi Bank, a de novo proposed for Encino, Calif., has secured conditional approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The proposed bank's organizers applied with the FDIC late last year. The agency is requiring organizers to raise $25 million before the bank can open. The proposed bank would be state-chartered and focus on small and midsize companies and their owners, business professionals and real estate owners, and investors, according to