Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

Proposed Calif. bank gets conditional FDIC approval

Proposed Calif. bank gets conditional FDIC approval

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has given conditional approval for organizers to form Icon Business Bank in Riverside, Calif. The FDIC said in its order that organizers must raise at least $22.7 million before they can open the proposed bank. Carpenter Acquisition Corp. applied with the FDIC in May 2022 to form Icon, which would operate as a unit of Icon Bancorp. Icon would have branches in Riverside, Orange County,

February 2, 2023
Community Bank System in NY repositions its balance sheet

Community Bank System in NY repositions its balance sheet

Community Bank System in Syracuse, N.Y., has repositioned its securities portfolio.   The $15.8 billion-asset company said in a press release that it sold $786 million of debt securities at an after-tax loss of about $39.6 million.   Community Bank System said it used proceeds from the sale to pay off wholesale borrowings with a spread differential that was about 320 basis points higher than the securities it sold.  

February 1, 2023
Timberland in Wash. selects insider as new CEO

Timberland in Wash. selects insider as new CEO

Timberland Bancorp in Hoquiam, Wash., has a new CEO. The $1.8 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Dean Brydon had taken over the role, succeeding Michael Sand, who retired. Brydon was also added to Timberland’s board, while Sand will remain a director. Brydon had been the company’s president and chief financial officer. Jonathan Fischer, Timberland’s chief operating officer, succeeded Brydon as president. Fischer will remain COO, a role

February 1, 2023
Digital assets fintech agrees to buy Chicago bank

Digital assets fintech agrees to buy Chicago bank

LevelField Financial, a Houston fintech that focuses on digital assets, has agreed to buy Burling Bank in Chicago. LevelField did not disclose the price it agreed to pay for the $191 million-asset Burling. The deal is expected to close later this year. LevelField said it plans to incorporate Burling's existing business activities. The bank’s senior management team is expected to join LevelField's leadership and focus on serving existing clients and

February 1, 2023
First Savings in Ind. to restate fiscal 2022 earnings

First Savings in Ind. to restate fiscal 2022 earnings

First Savings Financial Group in Jeffersonville, Ind., plans to restate its earnings to address several accounting matters. The $2.1 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that the changes will lower its fiscal 2022 net income by 6.4%, to $15.4 million. First Savings highlighted several issues, including an overstatement of other assets due to a capitalized consulting fee paid to evaluate its core operating systems and negotiate a contract. The

February 1, 2023
CFPB proposal would lower cap for credit card late fees

CFPB proposal would lower cap for credit card late fees

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to cap credit card late fees at $8 as part of a series of proposals to curb what it believes to be excessive charges. The agency said in a press release that the proposal aims to adjust the safe harbor dollar amount for late fees to $8 and eliminate a higher safe harbor dollar amount for late fees for subsequent violations of the same

February 1, 2023
First Waterloo in Ill. raises $8.5M in private placement

First Waterloo in Ill. raises $8.5M in private placement

First Waterloo Bancshares in Waterloo, Ill., has raised nearly $8.5 million through a private placement. The $823 million-asset company raised the capital on Jan. 28, according to data compiled by Performance Trust Capital Partners. Performance Trust also reported that M&T Bank in Buffalo, N.Y., raised $1 billion by issuing senior debt.

January 31, 2023
Provident in Mass. slashes size of crypto loan book

Provident in Mass. slashes size of crypto loan book

Provident Bancorp in Amesbury, Mass., returned to profitability and slashed its exposure to the cryptocurrency industry during the fourth quarter. The $1.6 billion-asset company said in a press release that its crypto portfolio shrank by 66% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, to $41.2 million, largely due to the sale of impaired loans backed by crypto mining rigs and payments on outstanding lines of credit. Loans backed by

January 31, 2023