The former chief innovation officer at Colony Bank in Georgia has launched a fund to invest in fintechs. Christian Ruppe announced in a LinkedIn post that he and Zach Forbes, the president of impactFI Advisors, had created The Perch Fund. "Our philosophy is simple: we invest in the bank technology companies that Financial Institutions will actually use," Ruppe said in the post. "We are not hunting unicorns. We are investing

Sauk Valley Bank & Trust in Sterling, Ill., has its next leader lined up. The $736.2 million-asset bank said in a LinkedIn post that Brad Ray had become an executive vice president with an expectation that he will become president and CEO in 2027. Ray previously served as president and CEO of Security Savings Bank. “We are excited to welcome Brad to our executive management team,” said Dirk Meminger, the

Sunwest Bank in Andy, Utah, has agreed to buy Denver branches from Nicolet Bankshares. The $4 billion-asset Sunwest didn't disclose how much it would pay for the branches, which Nicolet inherited from its purchase of MidWestOne Financial Group. MidWestOne gained the locations when it acquired Denver Bancshares in 2024. The Denver branches Nicolet acquired had about $390 million in loans and $380 million in deposits as of March 31. The

A group is looking to form a commercial bank in Miami. Organizers of the proposed Florida Bank of Finance applied to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on April 16. The filing wasn't immediately available. A legal notice tied to the filing lists seven organizers: Lorenzo Delzoppo, Roberto Munoz, Daniel Prinzing, Carlos Domingo, Katya Fisher, Marco Guerra de Sa, Fred Matera. Munoz was Miami market president for First Horizon and a

Vista National Bank & Trust in Harveyville, Kan., has a new name. The $63 million-asset bank said in a press release that it had rebranded as Ventura National Bank & Trust. The move followed the realization that a similarly named bank was coming up in searches. “AI has accelerated how quickly brand distinction, or lack thereof, becomes visible,” Chris Williams, the bank's co-founder and CEO, said in the release. “That

LendingClub in San Francisco plans to rename its bank. The fintech said in a press release that it will rebrand LendingClub Bank as Happen Bank. The new brand, which will debut this summer, reflects LendingClub's transition "from a pioneering online lender to a diversified digital-first bank that combines lending and deposits in an intuitive multi-product customer experience," the release said. "The LendingClub name no longer fits with everything we offer today,"

Peoples Bancorp in Marietta, Ohio, has agreed to buy Citizens National in Paintsville, Ky. The $9.6 billion-asset Peoples said in a press release that it will pay $76.6 million in cash and stock for the $686 million-asset Citizens. The deal, which is expected to close in the second half of this year, priced Citizens at 118% of its tangible book value. Citizens has 12 branches, $342 million in loans, and

United Community Banks in Greenville, S.C., agreed to buy Peach State Bancshares in Gainesville, Ga. The $28.2 billion-asset United said in a press release that it will pay $100.8 million in cash and stock for the $788 million-asset Peach State. The deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter, priced Peach State at 194% of its tangible book value. Peach State has $498 million in loans and $713