Provident Bancorp in Amesbury, Mass., has locked down its top leadership. The $1.6 billion-asset company said in a press release that Carol Houle and Joe Reilly are now its permanent co-presidents and co-CEOs. The executives had held interim titles since Dec. 23. Houle will continue to serve as Provident’s chief financial officer, a role she has held since joining the company in 2013. "The board is very pleased with the work

Buckeye State Bancshares in Powell, Ohio, has agreed to buy Rockhold Bancshares in Bainbridge, Ohio. The parent of the $320 million-asset Buckeye State Bank expects to complete the purchase of Rockhold and its $46.6 million-asset bank in the third quarter, according to an announcement by Performance Trust Capital Partners, which advised Buckeye State. The price wasn't disclosed. Rockhold Bank has two branches, $29 million of loans and $40.9 million of

Washington Business Bank in Olympia no longer plans to sell itself to an individual investor.   The $97.5 million-asset bank said in a press release that the proposed sale, which was announced in May 2022, has been terminated.   “The regulatory approval process continued longer than we expected and the individual investor ultimately withdrew the change-in-control application … and our agreement has now been terminated,” Jon Jones, the bank’s president

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles plans to lay off 200 employees at a unit that lends to real estate investors. The $41.2 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that the cuts are part of its previously announced plan to restructure Civic Financial Services in Redondo Beach, Calif. The restructuring plan includes reducing the number of loan products and lower loan growth in 2023 compared to a year earlier. The

Woodland Bank in Deer River, Minn., has a new president. The $138 million-asset bank named Kurt Werner to the post, according to BusinessNorth.com. Werner, who was an executive vice president at the bank, took over day-to-day operations and will oversee the lending department. "We have built a high-performing team that requires we recruit, retain and recognize individuals for their leadership and contributions,” Brian Nicklason, Woodland’s CEO, was quoted in the publication. “All

Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, plans to streamline its consumer operations into a single segment. The $183 billion-asset company will combine its retail and business banking operations and its auto finance business into its wealth management, private banking and insurance segment. The move, expected to take place in April and will create a single consumer and regional banking category, should help Huntington boost revenue and keep costs in check, Steve

Ohio Valley Banc Corp. in Gallipolis plans to close its online consumer mortgage company. The $1.2 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it will shutter Race Day Mortgage. The decision reflects “low loan demand, issues retaining personnel and lack of profitability.” Ohio Valley said it plans to see current in-progress loan applications to completion, at which point it will set a closing date.

The Bankers Helping Bankers Fund, a fintech-focused venture capital fund, has completed its first fundraising round. The BHB Fund, managed by Latitude38 Venture Partners, disclosed that investors included Woodforest Bank, Origin Bank, Texas First Bank, Dream First Bank, National Bank and Trust, Legend Bank, Fannin Bank and First State Bank of Louise. IBAT Services and FedFis also participated. Latitude38 was launched last year by Neeraj Vohra and Richard Leggett. Cam