Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has hired about 50 private bankers and support staff that had been at First Republic Bank. The $222 billion-asset Citizens said in a press release that the bankers are in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Florida. “The addition of these talented and seasoned private bankers helps Citizens significantly boost our growth plans in wealth management and business banking,” Brendan Coughlin, Citizens’ vice chairman

First State Bank & Trust in Fremont, Neb., has rebranded as RVR Bank. The $460.4 million-asset bank said on its website that the name change took place on June 1. The change applied to First State and Two Rivers Bank, which was acquired in December 2021. “The signs on the outside might be changing, but the values and people on the inside remain the same,” the bank said. “As we’ve

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