Tradition Capital Bank in Wayzata, Minn., has a new president. The $2.4 billion-asset bank said in a press release that Joe Bauer had taken on the role. Bauer, who previously served as the bank’s chief revenue officer, succeeded Dan Fagan, who remains CEO.

SouthState in Winter Haven, Fla., has agreed to buy Independent Bank in McKinney, Texas. The $46 billion-asset SouthState said in a press release that it will pay $2 billion in stock for the $18.9 billion-asset Independent. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter, priced Independent at 148% of its tangible book value. Independent has $15.7 billion of deposits and $14.6 billion of loans. “With a local,

Southside Bancshares in Tyler, Texas, has a new president. The $8.4 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Keith Donahoe had succeeded Lee Gibson, who remains CEO. Donahoe was also named president of Southside Bank. Donahoe, who joined Southside in 2021, was the bank’s regional president of central Texas. Donahoe will be paid an annual salary of $510,000.

Customers Bancorp in West Reading, Pa., bought a minority limited interest in a fintech venture fund. The $22 billion-asset company said in a press release that it successfully bid $5 million to buy the interest from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. at a roughly 70% discount to the investment’s original cost. The purchase comes about a year after Customers bought a $631 million loan portfolio from the FDIC that had

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a lawsuit against online lending platform SoLo Funds for allegedly deceiving borrowers about the total cost of loans. The CFPB, in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claimed that the Los Angeles fintech, despite advertising zero-interest loans, uses “dark patterns” that “ensures that almost every borrower pays a fee in the form of a ‘tip’ or

Pima Federal Credit Union in Tucson, Ariz., has agreed to buy Republic Bank of Arizona in Phoenix. The $1.2 billion-asset Pima said in a press release that it will pay shareholders of RBAZ Bancorp about $22 a share in cash for the $279 million-asset Republic. RBAZ will wind down and dissolve after the sale, which is expected to close in the second half of this year. “This strategic move is

Community Bank Systems in Syracuse, N.Y., has a new name.   The $15 billion-asset company said in a press release that it had rebranded at Community Financial System. The change “reflects the company’s broader business model and mission in contributing to the prosperity of its community.”   The new name “allows us to emphasize the evolution of our capabilities, solutions and focus,” Dimitar Karaivanov, the company’s president and CEO, said

Levo Credit Union in Sioux Falls, S.D., plans to buy a branch from Heritage Bank in Spicer, Minn. An application for the sale of the Sioux City, Iowa, branch was filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The $472 million Levo expects to complete the purchase in the fourth quarter. The branch has $33 million of loans and $33 million of deposits.