Santander Bank in Boston has started offering commercial equipment finance products to health care organizations. The $93.9 billion-asset company said in a press release that Santander Healthcare is an extension of its commercial equipment and vehicle finance business. Clients will include hospitals and health systems, out-patient clinics and specialized providers. "The pandemic brought to center stage how pivotal medical equipment is to our health care infrastructure," Michael Lee, a managing

Climate First Bancorp in St. Petersburg, Fla., has acquired the climate and social justice platform developed by Ecountabl. The parent of the $221 million-asset Climate First Bank said in a press release that the platform indexes data on more than 10,000 companies, analyzing their environmental, social and governance performance. The price wasn’t disclosed. The platform is expected to accelerate growth and strengthen the core capabilities of Climate First’s OneEthos digital

A new group is looking to bring small and midsize banks together to work on technology projects. The Btech Consortium is being led by Elizabeth Park Capital Management, Strandview Capital and a group of banks that includes East West Bancorp in Los Angeles and Customers Bancorp in West Reading, Pa. Participating banks will pool their capital and resources to invest in emerging tech companies. "We expect the consortium to provide

Burke & Herbert Financial Services in Alexandria, Va., plans to list its shares on the Nasdaq. The $3.5 billion-asset company said in a press release that it should join the exchange in the next six months. Its shares currently trade on the over-the-counter pink sheets. "We believe listing our shares on Nasdaq will broaden the company's access to capital and provide better liquidity for our shareholders," David P. Boyle, Burke

Republic First Bancorp has rejected a petition by a large shareholder to nominate a candidate for the Philadelphia company’s board. The $5.6 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Philip Norcross sent notice that he planned to nominate Gregory Braca for consideration at the next annual meeting, which is set for January. Republic First said in a letter to Norcross that the notice was “incurably deficient and … there

The Treasury Department is pushing federal bank regulators to complete guidance tied to how banks oversee risk associated with fintech relationships. The agency warned in a new 128-page report that fintechs are creating new risks to consumer protection and market integrity in areas such as data privacy and regulatory arbitrage. The report called for enhanced oversight of fintech's consumer finance activities. The lack of regulation for fintechs, compared to what

A group with ties to Ben Carson, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, has received regulatory approval to buy First State Bank in Elmore City, Okla. The group said in a press release that it is set to buy the $17 million-asset bank on Nov. 30. It will be rebranded as Old Glory Bank and have a digital-first strategy. The bank “will serve lower- and middle-income Americans and those

Customers Bancorp in West Reading, Pa., is the latest crypto-focused banking company to address its ties to the industry. The $20 billion-asset Customers said in a press release Wednesday that it the FTX bankruptcy will have “no material impact on the bank.” Customers said it does not have a deposit relationship with FTX or any of its related companies. Customers also said it has no loans to any clients in