Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has agreed to buy JMP Group in San Francisco. The $185 billion-asset Citizens said in a press release Wednesday that it will pay $149 million in cash for JMP, a capital markets firms that focuses on the health care, technology, financial services and real estate sectors. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. JMP, which was founded in 1999, will operate

BayCom in Walnut Creek, Calif., has agreed to buy Pacific Enterprise Bancorp in Irvine, Calif.The $2.1 billion-asset BayCom said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $53.1 million in stock for the $647 million-asset Pacific Enterprise. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter, priced Pacific Enterprise at 87.1% of its tangible book value. The transaction will expand BayCom’s presence in Southern California. Pacific Enterprise

Nicolet Bankshares in Green Bay, Wis., plans to close 15 branches in Wisconsin and Michigan in December. The $4.6 billion-asset company, which recently completed its purchase of Mackinac Financial, also said in a press release Tuesday that it will sell a branch in Birmingham, Mich., to Bank of Ann Arbor. The branch has $176 million of loans and $57 million of deposits. “Customers continue to tell and show us that

Patriot National Bancorp in Stamford, Conn., has been freed from a nearly three-year-old formal agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The $963 million-asset company said in a regulatory filing Tuesday that it was released from the November 2018 order after the OCC “concluded that the safety and soundness of the bank and its compliance with laws and regulations does not require the continued existence of the agreement.”The

MVB Financial in Fairmont, W.Va., has entered into a partnership to allow its fintech clients to offer Bitcoin-related products. The $2.7 billion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that the collaboration with Victor Technologies and NYDIG, will integrate Bitcoin into MVB’s Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) offerings. MVB has more than 50 fintech, payments and gaming clients. “NYDIG has a vision to make Bitcoin more accessible,” Larry Mazza, MVB’s president and CEO, said in

Meta Financial in Sioux Falls, S.D., will soon have a new CEO.The $7.1 billion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that Brad Hanson will also retire as president and as co-president and CEO of MetaBank on Sept. 30. He will serve as a strategic adviser until the end of 2022. Hanson plans to “focus on entrepreneurial and philanthropic endeavors,” including a project that will provide more-efficient cross-border remittance between the

First US Bancshares in Birmingham, Ala., will shutter its consumer finance unit.The $947 million-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it will close the 20 locations in Alabama and southeast Mississippi associated with Acceptance Loan Company. The unit will continue to service its remaining loan portfolio as management prepares for its closure.The unit made personal loans, along with loans for automobiles, ATVs, smaller equipment and household appliances.The closure is

ST Hldgs in Orlando, Fla., has acquired Rochelle State Bank in Rochelle, Ga.ST Hldgs, a bank holding company formed to invest in community banks, said in a Monday press release that it bought the $34 million-asset Rochelle State on June 4. The company did not disclose the price it paid.“ST Hldgs … and Rochelle State Bank remain committed to Wilcox County and southern Georgia,” Rajib Das, chairman of ST Hldgs