KeyCorp in Cleveland has agreed to buy Clearwater Corporate Finance, a U.K.-based middle market investment banking advisory firm. Key said in a press release that the purchase will mark its entry into Western Europe. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026. The price wasn't disclosed. The transaction builds on a multiyear partnership that KeyBanc Capital Markets and Clearwater began in 2020. "Years of collaboration ...

A group is looking to form a bank to serve foreign governments and related entities operating in the United States. Shermen Bank International would be based in Washington, according to its LinkedIn page. "Shermen will provide secure and specialized banking services to foreign countries, foreign state-owned enterprises, and multi-laterals operating in the US," the page states.

Paige, a fintech that assists banks with legacy and estate planning services, has secured an investment from 22nd State Bank in Mobile, Ala. Emily Cisek, Paige's CEO, announced the $2.5 million investment on her LinkedIn account. "This wasn't just a financial decision for them," Cisek wrote. The bank invested "because they see what we see: that when a bank shows up for a family at the level Paige makes possible,

American Momentum Bank in College Station, Texas, has a new CEO. Bo Scott also become the $2.8 billion-asset bank's president. He was chief banking officer at Sunflower Bank. "Honored and energized — those are the two words that keep coming to mind as I step into the role," he wrote on his LinkedIn account. "American Momentum has built something genuinely special — a $2.8 billion relationship-driven institution with deep roots

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