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

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati is planning to merge Provide, a heath care focused fintech, into its bank. The $207 billion-asset company disclosed in a legal notice that it applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to merge the digital platform into its Fifth Third Bank. Fifth Third bought Provide in August 2021. The bank was one of Provide’s early investors in 2018; it began funding loans through the fintech’s

A group in Grandview Heights, Ohio, is planning a women-owned bank. Organizers have applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to form Fortuna Bank. Ilaria Rawlins, a former executive at First Financial Bancorp in Cincinnati, would become the bank’s president and CEO. Lisa Berger is expected to serve as the bank’s chairman. While there are very few women-owned banks in the U.S., Agility Bank in Houston and First Women’s Bank

Clarion County Community Bank in Clarion, Pa., is planning a new division to focus on expansion in Erie, Pa. The $211 million-asset bank is planning Flagship Community Bank to coincide with opening its first branch in the market, according to GoErie.com. The bank, formed in 2004, has been making commercial loans in the area for the last seven years. Flagship should have about seven employees, Jim Kifer, Clarion’s CEO, told

Creighton Federal Credit Union in Omaha, Neb., is slowly getting back to normal following a series of fraudulent online debit card purchases. The $66.8 million-asset credit union is now allowing members to make four online debit card purchases per day. Earlier in the week, Creighton had capped those transactions to once daily. “We have learned that some members are receiving telephone calls asking for your account number and other personal

FB Financial in Nashville, Tenn., has invested in a fintech that focuses on manufactured home loans. The $12.8 billion-asset company said in a press release that its FirstBank unit invested in Zippy. The amount of the investment and the size of the stake were not disclosed. Zippy operates in nine states – Texas, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana and Michigan – with plans to more than double its

A former president of First Security Bank-West in Beulah, N.D., has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of bank fraud. The Justice Department said in a press release that Brady Daniel Torgerson was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $200 special assessment. Torgerson was arrested in November 2022 for committing fraud against First Security and Union

Customers Bancorp in Malvern, Pa., has formed a new loan syndications banking team, marking an expansion in middle-market lending. The $20 billion-asset company said in a press release that it hired Kyle Silberman as a managing director and head of loan syndications. He previously served as head of syndications at Amerant Bank. The team will largely focus on the commercial real estate, health care, fund finance, technology/venture and financial institution