Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

U.K. digital bank to buy Michigan de novo Community Unity

U.K. digital bank to buy Michigan de novo Community Unity

OakNorth, a U.K.-based digital bank, has agreed to buy Community Unity Bank in Birmingham, Mich. OakNorth, which received approval in August from the Federal Reserve and the New York State Department of Financial Services to open a representative Office in New York, plans to leverage the bank acquisition to expand business lending across the United States. "Over the last 18 months, we've supported businesses with their growth ambitions, providing several

March 17, 2025
OneMain Financial applies for ILC in Utah

OneMain Financial applies for ILC in Utah

OneMain Financial is the latest company to apply for an industrial loan charter. The company said in a press release that it applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions to form OneMain Bank in West Valley City, Utah. The bank would offer personal loans, auto finance, credit cards and savings accounts. “OneMain Financial has provided responsible lending solutions to a large and often underserved

March 15, 2025
TD Bank to close 38 branches

TD Bank to close 38 branches

TD Bank plans to close 38 locations. The bank applied with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to close the branches. The planned closures include six branches in Massachusetts, four in both Maine and New Hampshire, and two in Connecticut, according to published reports. "As we evaluate how customers interact with us and the channels they use, this includes examining our physical store network and looking for opportunities

March 14, 2025
GBank in Nevada files to apply for a Nasdaq listing

GBank in Nevada files to apply for a Nasdaq listing

GBank Financial Holdings in Las Vegas plans to apply for a Nasdaq listing. The $1.1 billion-asset company said in a regulatory filing that it plans to list shares under the symbol GBFH. The filing involves the roughly 1.1 million shares GBank Financial sold in an October 2024 private placement. Many of those shareholders are individual investors or related trusts. Down Range Capital Opportunity Fund plans to sell all of its

March 14, 2025
FDIC lets Block directly lend to Cash App users

FDIC lets Block directly lend to Cash App users

Block received approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to directly offer small consumer loans to Cash App customers. The fintech said in a press release that Square Financial Services will start offering and servicing Cash App Borrow in the coming weeks. Block, which has been making the loans through an external bank partner, said the average loan has been less than $100 with about a month in duration. It originated

March 14, 2025
Planters in Mississippi to buy Cross Keys Bank in Louisiana

Planters in Mississippi to buy Cross Keys Bank in Louisiana

Planters Holding in Indianola, Miss., has agreed to buy BSJ Bancshares in Saint Joseph, La. The $2 billion-asset Planters did not disclose how much it would pay for the parent of the $598.1 million-asset Cross Keys Bank. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. “We look forward to our combined companies continuing to build upon the great community bank franchise Cross Keys has established," Alan Hargett, Planters'

March 13, 2025
Lake Shore in N.Y. freed from Fed written agreement

Lake Shore in N.Y. freed from Fed written agreement

Lake Shore Bancorp in Dunkirk, N.Y., has been freed from another regulatory order. The $698 million-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that the Fed terminated a June 2023 written agreement. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency freed Lake Shore's bank from a consent order in December. Lake Shore has now begun the process of pursuing a second-step conversion to become a fully stock-owned company.

March 13, 2025
NuMark Credit Union to buy Lemont National in Ill.

NuMark Credit Union to buy Lemont National in Ill.

NuMark Credit Union in Joliet, Ill., has agreed to acquire The Lemont National Bank in Lemont, Ill. The $851 million-asset NuMark did not disclose the amount of the all-cash transaction. The credit union expects to buy the $52 million-asset Lemont National in the second half of this year. “It is clear to us that our organizations share a common vision in that we are both invested in the importance of

March 12, 2025