Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

Union State Bank agrees to buy Exchange State Bank in Iowa

Union State Bank agrees to buy Exchange State Bank in Iowa

Union State Bank in Greenfield, Iowa, has agreed to buy Exchange State Bank in Adair, Iowa. The $96.5 million-asset Union State filed its application with Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on March 29 to buy the $39 million-asset Exchange State. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. The price wasn’t disclosed. “It was important to the bank’s shareholders in 2007 that we maintain a locally-owned, locally-managed bank to

April 2, 2024
FinWise in Utah names new president, chief financial officer

FinWise in Utah names new president, chief financial officer

FinWise Bancorp in Murray, Utah, has a new president. The $586.2 million-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that James Noone will remain president of unit FinWise Bank. He succeeded Kent Landvatter, who remains chairman and CEO. Separately, Finwise hired Robert Wahlman as chief financial officer. Wahlman, who previously served as CFO at Axiom Bancorp, succeeded Javvis Jacobson. Jacobson remains the company’s treasurer.

April 2, 2024
OptimumBank in Fla. raises $8M from private placement

OptimumBank in Fla. raises $8M from private placement

OptimumBank Holdings in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., raised nearly $8 million by selling common and preferred stock.   The $791 million-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it entered into subscription agreements with six investors to sell 1.5 million shares of common stock and 526,000 preferred shares.   OptimumBank also entered into registration rights agreements with five of the investors, requiring the company to register 1.4 million shares of common

April 1, 2024
Five Star in Calif. to raise $71M in common stock offering

Five Star in Calif. to raise $71M in common stock offering

Five Star Bancorp in Rancho Cordova, Calif., is looking to raise about $71 million from selling common stock. The $3.6 billion-asset company said in a press release that it should complete the offering on April 1. Five Star plans to use the offering’s net proceeds for general corporate purposes and to support continued growth. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods was the bookrunner; Stephen and D.A. Davidson & were co-managers.

April 1, 2024
Old National CFO on leave as he faces molestation charges

Old National CFO on leave as he faces molestation charges

Old National Bancorp in Evansville, Ind., has put its chief financial officer on leave following his arrest on child molestation charges. The $52.4 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that its board placed Brendon Falconer on leave after becoming "aware of a situation involving … Falconer relating to a personal matter unrelated to the company." Multiple news outlets recently reported that Falconer was charged with two counts of child

April 1, 2024
Five Star Bank parent in New York sells insurance agency

Five Star Bank parent in New York sells insurance agency

Financial Institutions in Warsaw, N.Y., has sold its insurance agency to NFP Property & Casualty Services. The $6.2 billion-asset parent of Five Star Bank said in a press release that it sold SDN Insurance Agency for an undisclosed amount. William Gallagher, the agency’s president, joined NFP as part of the deal. “In the nearly 10 years since we entered the insurance space, it has proven to be a valuable line

April 1, 2024
Northrim in Alaska selects insider as its new CEO

Northrim in Alaska selects insider as its new CEO

Northrim BanCorp in Anchorage, Alaska, has its next leader lined up. The company said in a press release that Mike Huston will become its CEO on April 6. Huston, who was named president in 2022, will also serve as chief operating officer. Huston will succeed Joe Schierhorn, who will remain chairman. “We continue to implement our strategic plan for executive leadership succession and … Huston is a key component of

March 29, 2024
Former Marcus head to oversee retail banking at Santander U.S.

Former Marcus head to oversee retail banking at Santander U.S.

Santander U.S. has hired the former head of Marcus. The bank said in a press release that Swati Bhatia, as head of retail banking and transformation, will oversee consumer and business banking, along with digital transformation efforts. Bhatia succeeded Pierre Habis, who joined Synchrony Financial last year. Santander "has reached an inflection point as we progress towards becoming a national, digital bank with branches,” Tim Wennes, CEO of Santander U.S., said

March 29, 2024