The North Dakota Bankers Association is looking for its next leader. The association said in a press release that Rick Clayburgh will retire as president and CEO in mid-2027. "The announcement provides time for a thoughtful leadership transition while celebrating a career marked not only by influential advocacy and industry leadership, but by a lasting commitment to developing people, strengthening relationships, and shaping the future of North Dakota banking," the

Mercury is one step closer to opening a bank. The fintech received conditional approval for deposit insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.  The FDIC is requiring the bank to have $300 million in initial capital. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency gave conditional approval in April. "Deposit insurance approval isn't a formality," Jon Auxier, Mercury's chief banking officer and the proposed bank's president and CEO, shared on

Nola Bank is set to open in New Orleans next week. The de novo will debut on Sept. 14, co-founder Chris Shah wrote in a LinkedIn post. "Opening a new community bank is no small undertaking," Shah wrote. "This milestone represents years of vision, determination, collaboration, and an unwavering belief in the communities we will serve." Organizers received conditional approval in August 2025, which required them to raise $26.4 million

Trustmark in Jackson, Miss., is using proceeds from a sale-leaseback transaction to offset a hit from selling underperforming securities. The company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it sold 34 branches in Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas to Blue Owl for $91.7 million, or a $61.5 million pretax gain. Trustmark then signed 15-year leases for the locations at an initial aggregate amount of $6.4 million with 1.5% annual rent increases.

A 40-year-old mortgage company is looking to become a bank built specifically to serve college and professional athletes. Data Mortgage, which operates as Essex Mortgage, applied to the Texas Department of Banking and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to convert to a Texas state-chartered bank called Bank Elevated. The Aug. 28 application would let the bank retain Essex's tax identification number and its seller-servicer approvals, allowing mortgage origination to continue

Chime has agreed to buy Stride Bank, which has served as its sponsor bank for the past seven years. The San Francisco fintech said in a press release that it will pay $590 million for the Enid, Okla., bank, which will be rebranded as Chime Bank. Chime noted that buying Stride will eliminate partner-bank fees, reduce funding costs, and improve unit economics. The deal, which is expected to close in

United Community Banks in Greenville, S.C., is using gains from selling its equipment finance business to purge its securities portfolio. The $28.2 billion-asset company said during a call with analysts that it is selling $2.6 billion of low-yielding securities at a roughly $300 million pretax loss. Proceeds are being redeployed into higher-yielding, shorter-duration securities. The restructuring lands in the same quarter as the $1.9 billion cash sale of United's Navitas

Two investment firms are escalating a push for change at United Bancorp. of Alabama in Atmore by formally requesting board seats after months of what they describe as unproductive engagement. Merion Road Capital Management and Blue Hill Advisors sent a letter to the board on Sept. 8 requesting the appointment of Aaron Sallen and Jason Blumberg as independent directors. The request follows a July 7 letter in which the firms