Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

OCC pushing New York Community to exit stablecoin effort

OCC pushing New York Community to exit stablecoin effort

New York Community Bancorp in Hicksville will likely need to exit the USDF Consortium to buy Flagstar Bancorp in Troy, Mich. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, in its conditional approval for the $2.6 billion deal, instructed the $63 billion-asset New York Community to divest its interest in the group within two years of completing the acquisition. The OCC said it reserves the right to reverse course and

November 1, 2022
Fintech Upstart lays off 140 employees

Fintech Upstart lays off 140 employees

Upstart Holdings in San Mateo, Calif., has cut 140 jobs. The fintech, which focuses on personal and auto loans, disclosed in a regulatory filing that it eliminated positions that help process loan applications. Upstart said the cuts were necessary “given the challenging economy and reduction in the volume of loans on our platform.”

November 1, 2022
Customers in Pa., Kabbage to settle PPP dispute

Customers in Pa., Kabbage to settle PPP dispute

Customers Bancorp in West Reading, Pa., has settled a legal dispute with Kabbage over the Paycheck Protection Program. The $20.4 billion-asset Customers disclosed in a regulatory filing that its bank will pay $58 million to Kabbage, which has been going through the bankruptcy process. Kabbage had claimed it was owed $65.5 million in fees tied to the PPP. Kabbage, through its KServicing brand, will “take commercially reasonable efforts” to maintain

November 1, 2022
Truist in N.C. forms innovation team

Truist in N.C. forms innovation team

Truist Financial in Charlotte, N.C., has formed an innovation team built around a gamification company it bought earlier this year. The $548 billion-asset company announced last week that Truist Foundry will work across business lines to develop and test products. The 45-person team includes a dozen engineers and designers from Long Game, which Truist bought for an undisclosed amount in May. Lindsay Holden, who co-founded Long Game, is the head

October 31, 2022
U.S. Bancorp reveals data breach tied to credit cards

U.S. Bancorp reveals data breach tied to credit cards

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis has disclosed a data breach involving credit card customers. The $370 billion-asset company filed a notice with the California Attorney General's office stating that some personal data was compromised when a vendor accidentally shared a file with the information. The event is believed to have taken place on Sept. 27. A company spokesperson told NBC News that about 11,000 cardholders were impacted. The shared data included

October 30, 2022
Coastal in Washington shares update on BaaS platform

Coastal in Washington shares update on BaaS platform

Coastal Financial in Everett, Wash., disclosed that three of its Banking-as-a-Service clients are preparing to exit the relationship. The $3.1 billion-asset company disclosed in a slidedeck that the number of active partners fell to 19 in the third quarter from 23 a quarter earlier. Looking at the pipeline, five companies have signed letters of intent, while two others are in the middle of testing. Coastal also said that the programs

October 29, 2022
Peapack-Gladstone enters life insurance premium finance

Peapack-Gladstone enters life insurance premium finance

Peapack-Gladstone Financial in Bedminster, N.J., has launched a life insurance premium finance business after hiring a pair of bankers from Wintrust Financial. The $6.2 billion-asset company said in a press release that the specialty finance loans allow high-net-worth clients and corporations to obtain life insurance while retaining assets for other investments.  These specialty finance loans are an invaluable tool for those looking to leverage wealth and free up capital. “Life

October 28, 2022
New York Community-Flagstar deal receives OCC approval

New York Community-Flagstar deal receives OCC approval

New York Community Bancorp in Hicksville and Flagstar Bancorp in Troy, Mich., have received approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to merge their banks. The $63 billion-asset New York Community and the $25.4 billion-asset Flagstar said in a press release that they also agreed to extend the termination date for the proposed merger from Oct. 31 to Dec. 31. New York Community’s $2.6 billion acquisition of

October 28, 2022