Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

Western Alliance says deposit balances have stabilized

Western Alliance says deposit balances have stabilized

Western Alliance Bancorp. in Phoenix said that deposit balances have stabilized in the past two weeks. The $65 billion-asset company said in a press release that it had “elevated net deposit outflows” in the wake of the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. Most of those outflows came from its technology and innovation and settlement services groups. Though it added $900 million of deposits between March 20 and

April 5, 2023
NuMark CU agrees to buy Pioneer State in Illinois

NuMark CU agrees to buy Pioneer State in Illinois

NuMark Credit Union in Joliet, Ill., has agreed to buy Pioneer State Bank in Earlville, Ill. The $637 million-asset NuMark said in a press release that it will buy substantially all of the $122 million-asset bank’s assets and liabilities from NBE Bancshares in a cash transaction. The price wasn’t disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. “It is clear to us that our organizations share a

April 5, 2023
Webster taps former Sterling exec as bank president

Webster taps former Sterling exec as bank president

Webster Financial in Stamford, Conn., has a new bank president. The $71.3 billion-asset company said in a press release that Luis Massiani had accepted the post. He will remain chief operating officer. Massiani joined Webster following its January merger with Sterling Bancorp, where he was bank president and chief operating officer. Massiani succeeded John Ciulla, who remains Webster’s president and CEO and the bank’s CEO.

April 5, 2023
BHB Fund makes first fintech investment

BHB Fund makes first fintech investment

The Bankers Helping Bankers Fund has made its first investment, committing funds to RiskScout, a regtech company that specializes in compliance automation. RiskScout said in a press release that it plans to use the funds to accelerate growth, expand its products and invest in partnerships to better serve community banks. The amount of the investment and the fund’s stake in RiskScout were not disclosed. The BHB Fund is managed by Latitude38 Venture

April 4, 2023
Frank founder charged with fraud tied to fintech’s sale to Chase

Frank founder charged with fraud tied to fintech’s sale to Chase

The founder of Frank faces four criminal charges from the Department of Justice tied to claims of “falsely and dramatically inflating” the fintech's client numbers prior to its 2021 sale to JPMorgan Chase for $175 million. The DoJ said in a press release that Charlie Javice was arrested on Monday. The release said Javice, Frank’s CEO, stood to gain more than $45 million from the alleged fraud. Javice was charged

April 4, 2023
South Plains Financial sells insurance agency

South Plains Financial sells insurance agency

South Plains Financial in Lubbock, Texas, sold its insurance agency to Alliant Insurance Services. The $3.9 billion-asset South Financial said in a press release that it sold Windmark Insurance Agency on April 1. The price wasn’t disclosed. “Windmark has been a terrific business for us since its inception in 1997,” Curtis Griffith, South Plains’ chairman and CEO, said in the release. “That said, we knew we were at the point

April 4, 2023
Deposits rebounding at small, midsize banks

Deposits rebounding at small, midsize banks

Deposits at small and midsize U.S. banks are inching back up. Excluding the nation’s 25 biggest banks, deposits rose roughly $5.9 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis during the week that ended March 22, according to data collected by the Federal Reserve. That represents a 0.1% increase from the prior week. Deposits had fallen by about 3.7% over the previous two weeks. The Fed data also found that borrowings have

April 4, 2023
FDIC to sell big Signature loan book this summer

FDIC to sell big Signature loan book this summer

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will look to sell about $60 billion of former Signature Bank loans this summer. The agency said in a press release that the portfolio largely consists of commercial real estate loans, commercial loans and a smaller pool of mortgages. The CRE loans include a concentration of multifamily properties, mostly located in New York City. The FDIC said it plans to contact state and local government

April 4, 2023