Esquire Financial Holdings in Jericho, N.Y., plans to sell its portfolio of loans tied to the National Football League’s concussion settlement program.The $1.1 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it moved the $23.6 million portfolio to held-for-sale status during the third quarter as part of a plan to sell the loans to an unnamed fund. The loans had a fair value of $14.2 million on Sept. 30,

MainStreet Bancshares in Fairfax, Va., has created a division dedicated to serve fintechs. The $1.7 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that Avenu will expand on its Banking-as-a-Service (Baas) platform by offering fintechs a streamlined way to accept deposits and facilitate payments while managing risk and meeting compliance obligations. “We have come to know many fintech innovators and understand their unique needs,” Jeff Dick, MainStreet’s chairman and CEO, said

Trustmark in Jackson, Miss., will pay a $5 million civil money penalty tied to consent orders with regulators. The $17.1 billion-asset company said in a press release Friday that its bank entered into an order with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a separate order with the Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  The orders address allegations that Trustmark violated the Fair Housing Act, the Equal

Piermont Bank, a de novo in New York, has created a platform to offer credit products to its fintech clients. The $347 million-asset bank said in a press release that BancFi will also serve fintechs’ end-users. The effort builds on the bank’s Banking-as-a-Service platform, which consists of more than 30 fintech clients. The bank also said it is committing $20 million of newly raised capital to technology initiatives. “The growth we have

Ally Financial in Detroit is getting back into credit cards with an agreement to buy Fair Square Financial in Wilmington, Del.The $79 billion-asset Ally said in a press release Thursday that it will pay $750 million in cash for Fair Square. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.Ally said the deal provides it with “a scalable, digital-first credit card platform.”Fair Square, founded in 2016, has focused on providing

Business First Bancshares in Baton Rouge, La., has agreed to buy Texas Citizens Bancorp in Houston.The $4.4 billion-asset Business First said in a press release Thursday that it will pay $52.9 million in stock for the $517 million-asset parent of Texas Citizens Bank. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter, priced Texas Citizens at 151% of its tangible book value.Texas Citizens has six branches, $366 million

Raymond James Financial in St. Petersburg, Fla., has agreed to buy TriState Capital Holdings in Pittsburgh. Raymond James, parent of the $35 billion-asset Raymond James Bank, said in a press release Thursday that it will pay about $1.1 billion in cash and stock for the $12 billion-asset TriState. The deal is expected to close in next year. TriState “has a terrific, client-centric franchise focused on serving clients with premier private banking,

Banner Corp. in Walla Walla, Wash., plans to close 15 branches as part of a broader efficiency effort. The $16.6 billion-asset company said in a presentation Thursday that its Banner Forward program will also involve reducing office and operations space and minimize third-party spending. The goal is to lower annual expenses by $15 million in 2022 and by $25 million the following year. About 60% of the cost savings will come from