Piper Holdings in Covington, Ind., has agreed to buy Gifford Bancorp in Gifford, Ill. Piper, the parent of the $669.5 million-asset Fountain Trust Co., did not disclose how much it will pay for the holding company of the $188.5 million-asset Gifford State Bank. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter. The merger “allows us to provide a broader range of banking services to our customer base, and

Integra BG, a group formed earlier this year, agreed to buy Uinta Bank in Mountain View, Wyo. Integra BG did not disclose in its LinkedIn post what it plans to pay for the $208 million-asset Uinta. The plan is to rebrand Uinta as Tanager Bank. Integra also plans to conduct a private capital raise and implement new technology. “The combined experience of the board and management team will provide leadership

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has issued conditional approval for Erebor Bank, a proposed de novo backed by Peter Thiel and Palmer Luckey that would incorporate stablecoin into its business plan. The OCC's decision authorizes the organizers of the planned Columbus, Ohio, de novo to advance toward a pre-opening examination. Erebor, which still needs approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., aims to serve  technology companies involved

Kitsap Credit Union in Bremerton, Wash., invested in AI startup D8TAOPS. The credit union said in a press release that it became the first credit union in Washington state to gain approval from the state regulator to make the equity investment. Kitsap said the investment in D8TAOPS, an Oregon-based AI and data orchestration firm, will help modernize its operations, improve efficiency and enhance the member experience. The size of the

Telcoin in Norfolk, Neb., which is looking to open a blockchain-focused digital bank, raised $25 million in a pre-series A funding round. The company said in a press release that the funds would capitalize Telcoin Digital Asset Bank, which has received conditional approval for a Nebraska Digital Asset Depository Institution charter. The plan is to open later this year. Otter & Co. Capital Holdings was among the investors. “Telcoin is

Ponce Bank in New York converted to a national bank charter. The bank, a unit of Ponce Financial, had been a federally chartered stock savings association. Ponce Financial also became a financial holding company, which lets it engage in activities that are "financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity," according to a press release. The new charter allows the bank to receive municipal deposits in New York.

Doug Ledba, founder and CEO of LendingTree in Charlotte, N.C., died in an all-terrain vehicle accident over the weekend. The online lending platform said in a statement that Scott Peyree, its president and chief operating officer, had become the CEO, while Steve Ozonian, previously the lead independent director, is now the chairman. “Doug was a visionary leader whose relentless drive, innovation, and passion transformed the financial services landscape, touching the

A group is looking to form a bank in Southern California. Organizers of the proposed TriCoast Bank in Torrance filed applications with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation in mid-September. The applications weren't immediately available. The state regulator noted on its website that the group plan to have offices in Torrance and Encino. A call to Jim Jones at Carpenter & Co.,