Dorothy Savarese, who recently retired as president and CEO of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank in Hyannis, Mass., has joined the board of trustees at Suffolk University in Boston.Savarese, who remains the $4.6 billion-asset bank's chairman, was its CEO for more than 17 years. She was succeeded as CEO by Matt Burke and as president by Bert Talerman.Savarese earned her MBA from Suffolk’s Sawyer Business School. The other new trustees

The Independent Community Bankers of America has reiterated its opposition to a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).The trade association said in a comment letter to the Commerce Department that it wants the government to step up oversight of digital assets, including cryptocurrency. The ICBA made several arguments in the letter:Digital assets present numerous significant threats, including financial crimes and risks for financial stability.Stablecoins exist in an unregulated space with several

New Peoples Bankshares in Honaker, Va., disclosed that its recent systems issues resulted from a cyberattack.The $813 million-asset bank disclosed on its website that it first experienced aninterruption to the operability of its computer systems on June 15. An investigation by a third-party cybersecurity firm found that an unauthorized person gained access to those systems on June 9. The investigation also determined that “some personal information” of customers, shareholders and employees

Western Alliance Bancorp. in Phoenix has entered Utah after hiring a team of business bankers. The $60 billion-asset company said in a press release Wednesday that the bankers will be based in Salt Lake City. The bankers have expertise in real estate, construction and equipment loans, SBA financing, lines of credit and working capital. Seth Brinkerhoff will serve as senior director of commercial banking. He previously served as a senior vice president

NorthEast Community Bancorp in White Plains, N.Y., has brought back a familiar face to its board. The $1.3 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing Wednesday that Linda Swan had become a director on June 23. She also joined the board of unit NorthEast Community Bank. Swan was a director of NorthEast Community Bancorp, a predecessor to the company, from 1991 to 2014. Swan once was the director of the corporate activities

New York Community Bancorp in Westbury has formed a partnership with Circle Internet Financial in Boston where the bank will become a custodian for USD Coin reserves. The $61 billion-asset New York Community and Circle will collaborate on strategies for using Circle blockchain and stablecoin solutions to promote access to low-cost financial solutions for underserved and unbanked communities.  Circle said in a press release that the move is part of its commitment

PCSB Financial in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., fielded acquisition offers from three banks before deciding to deal exclusively with Brookline Bancorp in Boston. The $8.6 billion-asset Brookline agreed to buy the $2 billion-asset PCSB in May for $313 million in cash and stock. PCSB decided to seriously consider selling in November when its board assessed challenges generating organic growth, the need to “invest significantly” in IT and other infrastructure, and the bank’s scarcity

Landmark Bancorp in Manhattan, Kan., has agreed to buy Freedom Bancshares in Overland Park, Kan.The $1.3 billion-asset Landmark said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $33.4 million in cash for the $223 million-asset Freedom. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Freedom “has been a strong commercial bank in Overland Park since its formation and the transaction allows an excellent opportunity to expand our presence