Southern Bancorp in Arkadelphia, Ark., has chosen a new name. The company said in a press release that it will rebrand as Uplift Bank. "For 40 years, we've worked alongside individuals, families, businesses, and communities to create pathways to financial opportunity for everyone, no matter their zip code," Southern said in a LinkedIn post. "As we've grown, we've come to realize that our name should reflect that mission just as

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., bought Frazier Lanier Company, an investment bank that specializes in municipal and corporate securities. The $161 billion-asset Regions did not disclose the price it paid for the Montgomery, Ala., investment bank. “By welcoming experienced bankers from Frazer Lanier to the Regions family, we are connecting Regions’ clients with even greater capabilities while advancing our long-term strategy for growth," John Turner, Regions' chairman, president and CEO,

MidMinnesota Federal Credit Union in Baxter has agreed to buy a branch in Clarissa, Minn., from Unity Bank, Augusta, Wis. The $834 million-asset credit union said in a press release that the all-cash deal should close in the fourth quarter. The price wasn't disclosed. The branch had $27 million in deposits and $3 million in loans. Hovde Group advised Unity Bank.

Commerce Bancshares in Kansas City, Mo., has agreed to buy boutique investment bank Nolan & Associates in St. Louis, Mo. Nolan provides sell-side, buy-side and capital raise advisory services to business owners, private equity firms and corporations in industries that including building products, transportation, logistics, energy, healthcare, telecom, business services, manufacturing, distribution and agriculture. Nolan will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Commerce Bank. The price wasn't disclosed. “We

Eagle Bancorp in Bethesda, Md., will pay more than $9.7 million to resolve a Justice Department investigation into violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. The DoJ said in a press release that Eagle entered into a non-prosecution agreement to address the matter. “For more than a decade, EagleBank knowingly allowed favored clients to operate a check kiting scheme, even as compliance personnel repeatedly tried to stop it,” Assistant Attorney General

BankTech Ventures, an investment fund backed by banks, announced a new round of investments totaling $15 million over the past six months. The fund said that new portfolio companies and follow-on investments included: Coinbax, which deals in stablecoin payments via smart contracts with built-in risk controls and reversibility. FileJet, which offers automated compliance, reporting, and real-time tracking for all business types. Infinant, which provides financial institutions with technology to power

Bank of Charlotte County in Phenix, Va., is saying goodbye to its leader. The $228 million-asset bank announced in a LinkedIn post that Dexter Gilliam will retire as president and CEO on June 1. The post did not identify his successor. "Dexter's leadership, dedication, and commitment to our employees, customers, and communities has helped shape our organization into what it is today," the post said. "Throughout his tenure, he has

New York fintech GrailPay raised $10.5 million in Series A funding. The fintech, which is building a risk intelligence platform for ACH and bank payments, said the funding round was led by MissionOG and included participation EJF Ventures, Counterpart Ventures, Construct Capital, Commerce Ventures, and SSC Venture Partners.  GrailPay said it plans to use the funds to expand its risk-detection infrastructure. GrailPay has raised a total of $17.2 million since its