White River Bancshares in Fayetteville, Ark., is launching a bilingual bank brand. The parent of the $852 million-asset parent Signature Bank of Arkansas said in a press release Friday that its Banco Sí division will officially open in Rogers, Ark., in September. The bank, which is expected to have 10 employees, will be led by Francisco Herrero, according to Talk Business & Politics. The bank’s advisory board is completely comprised of Hispanic

ServisFirst Bancshares in Birmingham, Ala., has hired two key executives for its operations in North Carolina. The $15 billion-asset company said in a press release Friday that Craig May III had been named Charlotte regional president. May previously served as a managing director and Carolinas region manager for JPMorgan Chase. ServisFirst also hired Robert Shell II has chief credit officer for its operations in the region. Shell previously served as a senior

A group in Traverse City, Mich., is looking to form a de novo bank. Organizers of the proposed Sovereign Bank applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Tuesday for deposit insurance.  The bank will be focused on real estate lending, consisting of commercial real estate loans, multifamily loans and home equity loans, the application said. Sovereign will also be active in commercial business loans and, on a smaller scale,

DFCU Financial in Dearborn, Mich., is the latest credit union to agree to buy a bank.The $6.4 billion-asset credit union said in a press release Thursday that it will buy First Citrus Bank in Tampa, Fla., for $93 million in cash, based on the parent company's shares outstanding. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. First Citrus has $689 million of assets. The acquisition would give DFCU its first

FB Financial in Nashville, Tenn. is shutting down its direct-to-consumer mortgage business. The $12.7 billion-asset company said in a regulatory filing Tuesday that it would close Real Genius, its national mortgage internet delivery channel, as part of a broader restructuring. The company plans to complete the process by the end of this year. FB Financial said it decided to exit the business because of recent margin compression, reduced volumes, a shortage of

Bank of Idaho in Idaho Falls has agreed to buy five branches in eastern Washington from HomeStreet in Seattle. The $737 million-asset Bank of Idaho said in a press release Tuesday that it will also gain the branches’ lending business and employees. The deal is expected to close by Aug. 1. Bank of Idaho did not disclose the price it will pay."Bank of Idaho’s roots serving communities across the western landscape make

A group in California is looking to form a bank with a strategy that would include buying indirect auto loans. Carpenter Acquisition Corp. applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on May 3 to form Icon Bank in Riverside. Carpenter Acquisition said in the application that it plans to become Icon Bancorp after the bank is formed. Icon would be a full-service bank with branches in Riverside; Orange County, Calif.; and Clark

KeyCorp has acquired a fintech that helps borrowers manage their student loans. The $181.2 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it bought GradFin, a Philadelphia company created in 2015. Key did not disclose the price it paid. GradFin specializes in working with financial advisers and their clients. "GradFin combines the best of digital and human interaction to create a unique client experience," Jamie Warder, KeyCorp’s head of digital, said in