The CEO of Citizens National Bank at Brownwood in Texas is retiring. John Guest will step down on Dec. 31, according to the Brownwood News. Guest, who joined the $288 million-asset bank in 1982, became its president in 2010. He has been CEO since 2014. Guest will remain on the bank’s board.

Richmond Mutual Bancorp. in Richmond, Ind., will soon have a new bank president. The $1.3 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Paul Witte will also become chief operating officer of First Bank Richmond on Jan. 1. Witte, the bank’s chief lending officer, will succeed Garry Kleer, who will remain the company’s chairman, president and CEO and the bank’s chairman and CEO. Witte manages First Bank Richmond's commercial lending

Currency Bank in Baton Rouge, La., has raised more capital. The $124 million-asset bank said in a press release that it brought in $4 million. Axxess Partners, the bank’s holding company, raised roughly $26 million in May 2021, around the time that it acquired Commerce Community Bank and rebranded it as Currency. Currency said in a LinkedIn post that the capital will “further bolster” its “strong capital position.” “We decided

State Bankshares in Fargo, N.D., raised roughly $37.3 million in capital. The parent of the $11.7 billion-asset Bell Bank brought in the funds through a Dec. 16 private placement of common stock, according to data compiled by Performance Trust Capital Partners. It is unclear what the company’s plans are for the capital.

De novo activity, while far off levels seen before the 2008 financial crisis, had notable momentum in 2022. Fifteen new banks opened this year, raising at least $362 million in total capital, based on date from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. That compares to 10 de novos the year before and eight in 2020. It was the highest single-year total since 2009. Three banks debuted in Arizona: Scottsdale Community Bank

Organizers of the proposed New Canaan Bank in Connecticut have given up on an effort to create the de novo. The group withdrew its application with the Connecticut Department of Banking on Dec. 14. Had it opened, New Canaan would have been the state’s first new bank in a dozen years. Organizers submitted an application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. a year ago, listing six members: Frederick Afragola, Louis Garcia, Paul

BM Technologies and First Sound Bank in Seattle have terminated their plans to merge. BM Technologies, a fintech spun off from Customers Bancorp, agreed in November 2021 to buy the $154 million-asset First Sound for $23 million in cash but they were unable to secure the required regulatory approvals. The fintech said a few weeks ago that it had withdrawn its application to buy First Sound, with plans to resubmit

Provident Bancorp in Amesbury, Mass., said its CEO has stepped down just weeks after it projected a large quarterly loss tied to its dealings with crypto mining companies. The $1.8 billion-asset company said in a press release that Dave Mansfield also relinquished his title as president as part of a "mutual decision" with the board, effective last Tuesday. Provident said that Carol Houle, its chief financial officer, and Joe Reilly,