Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

First Financial in Indiana to merge bank subsidiaries

First Financial in Indiana to merge bank subsidiaries

First Financial in Terre Haute, Ind., is planning to combine its two banking units. The $4.8 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it will merge The Morris Plan Company of Terre Haute into First Financial Bank on Dec. 31. First Financial said the move will result in increased efficiencies, beginning in the first quarter.

September 28, 2021
Bank of Marin CEO to retire in October

Bank of Marin CEO to retire in October

Bank of Marin Bancorp in Novato, Calif., will have a new CEO in November. The $4 billion-asset company said in a press release Friday that Tim Myers, its president and chief operating officer, will succeed Russell Colombo, who is retiring on Oct. 31. Myers will also join the company’s board.Colombo has been CEO for 15 years. Myers joined Bank of Marin in 2007. “With Russ at the helm, we benefited

September 24, 2021
Primis in Va. to sell minority stake in mortgage lender

Primis in Va. to sell minority stake in mortgage lender

Primis Financial in McLean, Va., has agreed to sell its minority stake in Southern Trust Mortgage. The $3.4 billion-asset Primis said in a press release Thursday that it expects to record a pretax charge of $2.9 million in the third quarter tied to the sale. Primis also said it will not longer accrue earnings tied to the bank’s common membership interest in the mortgage lender. Southern Trust will buy the stake

September 23, 2021
HarborOne buying four Boston-area branch locations

HarborOne buying four Boston-area branch locations

HarborOne Bancorp in Brockton, Mass., has agreed to buy four branches in Massachusetts from Independent Bank in Rockland, Mass. The $4.6 billion-asset HarborOne said in a press release Thursday that it will buy the leases to branches that had belonged to East Boston Savings Bank, which Independent is set to buy later this year. HarborOne opened its first Boston-area office in 2018. It now has more than $370 million of loans and

September 23, 2021
Valley National in N.Y. to buy Bank Leumi USA for $1.1B

Valley National in N.Y. to buy Bank Leumi USA for $1.1B

Valley National Bancorp in New York has agreed to buy Bank Leumi USA in New York. The $41 billion-asset Valley said in a press release Thursday that it will pay Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M. about $1.2 billion in cash and stock for the $8.4 billion-asset Bank Leumi. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter or early in the second quarter, priced Bank Leumi at 130% of its tangible book

September 23, 2021
Florida de novo bank effort secures FDIC approval

Florida de novo bank effort secures FDIC approval

Waterfall Bank, a de novo proposed for Clearwater, Fla., has secured conditional approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.Organizers still need to raise $45 million before opening the bank, according to the FDIC’s Sept. 8 order. The group behind Waterfall Bank applied with the FDIC in December. The bank would be based in the Waterfall Building, which is operated by Waterfall Capital Investments. The company “directs the deployment of capital for

September 22, 2021
Amalgamated in N.Y. entering Chicago with acquisition

Amalgamated in N.Y. entering Chicago with acquisition

Amalgamated Financial in New York will enter Chicago with an agreement to buy Amalgamated Bank.The $6.6 billion-asset Amalgamated Financial said in a press release Wednesday that it will pay $98.1 million in cash, including an earnout of up to $1.1 million, for the $950 million-asset Amalgamated Bank. The deal is expected to close by the end of this year. The Chicago bank was formed in 1922. It has $836 million of

September 22, 2021
Veritex in Dallas to buy ag lender North Avenue

Veritex in Dallas to buy ag lender North Avenue

Veritex Holdings in Dallas has agreed to buy North Avenue Capital in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The $9.3 billion-asset Veritex said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $57.5 million in cash for the government-guaranteed lender. Three years after the deal closes, North Avenue has the right, subject to adjustment, to receive another $5 million in cash, subject to certain performance measures. The deal is expected to close in

September 21, 2021