Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

First National Bank of Lindsay in Oklahoma fails

First National Bank of Lindsay in Oklahoma fails

First National Bank of Lindsay in Oklahoma was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over the $107.8 million-asset bank and sold its only branch and its insured deposits to First Bank & Trust Co. in Duncan, Okla. The OCC closed the bank "after identifying false and deceptive bank records and other information suggesting fraud that revealed depletion of the bank's

October 19, 2024
Business First in La. promotes insider as new bank president

Business First in La. promotes insider as new bank president

Business First Bancshares in Baton Rouge, La., has a new bank president. The $6.7 billion-asset company said in a press release that Jerry Vascocu had taken on the role. Vascocu, who was the bank's chief administrative officer, succeeded Jude Melville, who will remain chairman and CEO. “Jerry’s proven leadership and broad-based banking experience [are] especially relevant to the challenges and opportunities we anticipate facing as we continue to grow our impact

October 18, 2024
Franklin Financial in Pa. restructures securities portfolio

Franklin Financial in Pa. restructures securities portfolio

Franklin Financial Services in Chambersburg, Pa., restructured its securities portfolio. The $2 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that its bank sold about $46.7 million of lower-yielding U.S. Treasury debt at a roughly $3.4 million after-tax loss. The proceeds were used to buy higher-yielding investment securities, including U.S. Agency residential mortgage-backed securities and private-label residential mortgage-backed securities. The company said it expects to recover the after-tax loss in just over

October 18, 2024
Provident Financial in N.J. settles overdraft fee litigation

Provident Financial in N.J. settles overdraft fee litigation

Provident Financial Services in Jersey City, N.J., has settled a lawsuit tied to its overdraft fees. The $24.1 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it agreed to pay nearly $1.9 million to a settlement fund in a court-approved arrangement. The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, alleged that the bank wrongfully assessed overdraft fees related to debit card transactions. The complaint asserted claims for breach of

October 18, 2024
National Bankshares in Va. taps insider as next president

National Bankshares in Va. taps insider as next president

National Bankshares in Blacksburg, Va., has a new president lined up. The $1.8 billion-asset company said in a press release that Lara Ramsey will take over the role on Jan. 1. Ramsey, the company's chief operating officer and senior vice president of administration, will succeed F. Brad Denardo, who will remain chairman and CEO.

October 18, 2024
Metropolitan in NY reserves $10M to resolve probe tied to former fintech client

Metropolitan in NY reserves $10M to resolve probe tied to former fintech client

Metropolitan Bank Holding in New York reported lower quarterly profit that reflected a reserve designed to address a probe into a former fintech client. The $7.4 billion-asset company said in a press release that its third-quarter profit fell by 44% from a year earlier, to $12.3 million. Metropolitan said it set aside $10 million to resolve a state agency's investigation tied to a fintech client it last worked with in

October 18, 2024
New York Community to cut 700 jobs at its bank

New York Community to cut 700 jobs at its bank

New York Community Bancorp in Hicksville is planning to cut about 700 jobs at its bank. The $119.1 billion-asset company said in a press release that the cuts represent about 8% of Flagstar Bank's workforce. Another 1,200 jobs will go away when the company completes the previously announced sale of its mortgage servicing business to Mr. Cooper. "As part of our commitment to a profitable future, we launched a transformation

October 18, 2024
FNB in Pittsburgh sells indirect auto loans at loss

FNB in Pittsburgh sells indirect auto loans at loss

FNB Corp. in Pittsburgh sold a portfolio of indirect auto loans at a loss. The $48 billion-asset FNB said in a press release that it sold $431 million of performing loans in September as part of a balance sheet repositioning. The company said it lost $11.6 million from the sale, though it also improved the loan-to-deposit ratio by about 120 basis points. The sale also improved FNB's Common Equity Tier

October 18, 2024