Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart will enter Miami through its pending purchase of Apollo Bancshares in Miami. The $9.7 billion-asset Seacoast said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $168.3 million for the $1 billion-asset Apollo. The deal is expected to close early in the fourth quarter. Apollo has five branches, $928 million of deposits and $665 million of loans. The bank attempted to sell itself to Suncoast

MetaBank in Sioux Falls, S.D., will rebrand as Pathward. The $7.6 billion-asset bank said in a press release Tuesday that the plan is to shift to the new name by the end of this year.  Meta Financial, the bank’s holding company, will become Pathward Financial."Expanding financial access is too complex and important to be a part-time activity, which is why we’ve made financial inclusion for all the heart of everything we

Rita Lowman, former president of Pilot Bank, has joined the board of a Venice, Fla., wealth manager.Caldwell Trust Co. said in a press release Tuesday that Lowman had accepted the position. “Rita’s experience with banking issues, combined with her financial expertise and passion for serving nonprofit institutions, makes her an ideal fit and very welcome addition to our board,” Kelly Caldwell Jr., Caldwell Trust’s president and CEO, said in the release. Pilot,

First Carolina Financial Services in Rocky Mount, N.C., has raised $115 million through a private placement of common stock. The $1.5 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it sold 4.6 million shares at $25 each to accredited individual and institutional investors. It is the company’s largest private placement – about $90 million came from local investors. First Carolina said it plans to use the proceeds to enhance capital ratios

MNB Financial Services in McCook, Neb., has agreed to buy Doniphan Bancshares in Doniphan, Neb.The $418 million-asset MNB said in a press release that it expects to complete the purchase of the $149 million-asset Doniphan on June 1. The company did not disclose the price it will pay. "This is a historic day for our organization," Brian Esch, MNB’s president and CEO, said in the release. "I am confident that our

Norwood Financial in Honesdale, Pa., will soon have a new CEO. The $2.1 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that James Donnelly will also become its president in early May. He will also join the company’s board. Donnelly will succeed Lewis Critelli, who plans to retire but will remain a director. Donnelly previously served as chief commercial officer at Bangor Savings Bank. Donnelly “is an experienced, dedicated and successful community banker,” Critelli said in

Hometown Financial Group in Easthampton, Mass., has agreed to buy Randolph Bancorp in Quincy, Mass. The $3.6 billion-asset Hometown said in a press release Monday that it will pay $146.5 million for the $803 million-asset parent of Envision Bank. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Randolph’s directors and executive officers, who own about 7.7% of the company’s stock, pledged to support the sale. At least one Randolph

Berkshire Hills Bancorp in Boston is building a new consumer and small business mobile app and an online banking site through an expanded partnership with fintech Narmi. The $11.6 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that the app will have upgrades that include personalization, savings tools, self-service capabilities and apps to support seamless money transfers and financial planning.  Berkshire previously worked with the New York-based fintech to upgrade its consumer online account