Meredith Whitney is back. Whitney, who famously became bearish on the banking sector prior to the 2008 Financial Crisis, has relaunched her eponymous research and advisory practice. Whitney, in a LinkedIn post, said she had spent her hiatus as an institutional investor (she ran a hedge fund from 2013 to 2015) and as CFO of two startups. “None of those experiences could match the passion with which I embraced researching

Fulton Financial in Lancaster, Pa., has hired a former executive at OceanFirst Financial in Red Bank, N.J., to oversee its technology operations. The $27 billion-asset Fulton said in a press release that Karthik Sridharan will serve as chief operations and technology officer. Sridharan will be responsible for leading a team responsible for the bank’s digital customer experience, among other things. Sridharan previously served as OceanFirst’s chief information officer. Before that,

Needham Bank in Needham, Mass., is planning a standard conversion to become a fully stock-owned company. The $3.7 billion-asset bank disclosed in a regulatory filing that NB Bancorp, a newly formed corporation, plans to sell 34.5 million shares of stock at $10 each – for gross proceeds of $34.5 million. The company should raise up to $39.7 million if there is enough demand. Directors, executive officers and their associates are

USAlliance Federal Credit Union in Rye, N.Y., has appointed an interim CEO while it looks for a permanent leader. The $2.8 billion-asset credit union said in a press release that Brett Wheeler will fill the role temporarily. He is USAlliance’s chief financial officer. USAlliance said its board will continue to search for a permanent president and CEO throughout the summer. Wheeler succeeded Kristin VanBeek, who recently left to take the

Home BancShares in Conway, Ark., is parting ways with the former CEO of a bank it recently bought. The $22.5 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Mikel Williamson plans to resign as Texas president of Happy State Bank on June 14. Happy State is a division of Home’s Centennial Bank. Williamson served as CEO of Happy State from April 2020 until its sale to Home in April 2022.

Lone Star Bank in Houston is delaying a shareholder vote on its pending sale to First Guaranty Bancshares in Hammond, La., to solicit more votes in support of the deal. The $160.8 million-asset Lone Star said in a press release that it plans to convene and immediately adjourn its June 13 special meeting. The meeting was called for investors to vote on Lone Star's pending sale to the $3.2 billion-asset

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., will end its indirect auto lending program on July 1. The $222 billion-asset company said in a press release that the move is part of a strategy to optimize its balance sheet and emphasize relationship-based lending. Citizens will retain and service existing auto loans on its balance sheet. “This decision further enables us to lend in areas that provide better risk-adjusted returns and improved

A shareholder group that has been sparring with Republic First Bancorp for months is now calling for the resignation of the Philadelphia company’s president and CEO. The group, which includes George Norcross III, Philip Norcross and Gregory Braca, said in a regulatory filing that it also wants Thomas Geisel to step down from the $6.2 billion-asset company’s board. Geisel took over those roles from Harry Madonna in December. Since then,