Bankers Helping Bankers, a fintech-focused group affiliated with the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, has a new CEO. Matthew Smith was named to lead the group, which provides a variety of resources for community banks. “Matthew Smith has been an instrumental leader in building Bankers Helping Bankers into what it is today,” Dave Mayo, the group's founder, said in a press release. “His vision, passion, and ability to unite people

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a lawsuit against Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance in Maryville, Tenn., alleging risky lending practices tied to manufactured home sales. The bureau claimed in a press release that Vanderbilt, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary Clayton Homes, had a business model that "ignored clear and obvious red flags that the borrowers could not afford the loans." The CFPB's litigation aims to stop Vanderbilt’s illegal

Reading Co-operative Bank in Reading, Mass., and Wakefield Co-operative Bank in Wakefield, Mass., are planning to merge. The surviving bank will operate as Reading Co-operative and will be led by Julieann Thurlow, the $922 million-asset Reading Co-operative's president and CEO. Jeffrey Worth, the $313 million-asset Wakefield Co-operative's president and CEO, will serve as president. “We want to assure customers that no branches will be closed as part of this transaction,"

Finastra has a new leader. The U.K. company, which provides financial services software applications, said in a press release that Chris Walters had become its CEO. Walters, who was CEO of Pluralsight and Avantax, succeeded Simon Paris. "I'm excited to join Finastra at this pivotal moment in its journey and am impressed by the significant progress that has been made during Simon's leadership," I look forward to working with the

UKG, a company that focuses on human resources, payroll and workforce management, has hired a veteran banker to lead its proposed national trust bank. Nancy Graves shared on her LinkedIn profile that she had been hired as the proposed bank's president. UKG had actively sought to fill the role by posting on several job search websites. Graves, who led Pascack Bancorp from 2013 to 2016 and Bancorp of New Jersey

Cogent Bancorp in Orlando, Fla., has raised nearly $6.6 million. The parent of the $1.9 billion-asset Cogent Bank completed a private placement of common stock on Jan. 2, according to data compiled by Performance Trust Capital Partners. The data did not include the amount of stock sold, the pricing, or the investors.

KeyCorp in Cleveland granted five executives, including CEO Chris Gorman, a total of $16.7 million in performance-based equity awards that will vest in two years. The company disclosed in a regulatory filing that the executives will receive the awards if it meets capital requirements and earnings goals. Gorman would receive nearly $7.6 million in equity rewards if the bank hits its goals in 2025 and 2026. Clark Khayat, Key's chief

The Peoples Savings Bank in Urbana, Ohio, has a new CEO. The $159.8 million-asset bank said in a press release that Marsha Bumgardner had also become its president. Bumgardner, who was a senior vice president and has been at the bank since 1997, succeeded Brian Nicol.