Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

BOK Financial in Okla. launches mortgage finance business

BOK Financial in Okla. launches mortgage finance business

BOK Financial in Tulsa, Oklahoma, launched a mortgage finance business. BOK said in a press release that the mortgage finance team will be led by Donnie Martin, who joined the company last year from City National Bank. The new business is part of the company's focus on building deeper relationships with mortgage banking customers, Martin Grunst, BOK's chief financial officer, said in the release.

May 16, 2025
Greenwoods State Bank in Wis. promotes insider as new president

Greenwoods State Bank in Wis. promotes insider as new president

Greenswoods State Bank in Lake Mills, Wis., has a new president. The bank said in a press release that Jim Hegenbarth succeeded Rob Cera, who will serve as co-CEO with Bill McDonald. Hegenbarth was a market president at the bank. “Jim is a respected and forward-thinking leader whose expertise, vision, and values align perfectly with our mission,” Cera said in the release. “This promotion is not only a recognition of

May 15, 2025
President of Rockland Trust in Mass. to retire

President of Rockland Trust in Mass. to retire

The president of Rockland Trust in Rockland, Mass., plans to retire. Independent Bank Corp., the parent company of Rockland Trust, disclosed in a regulatory filing that Gerard Nadeau will step down on June 27. He will remain on the company's board. Jeffrey Tengel, Independent's president and CEO and Rockland Trust's CEO, is expected to succeed Nadeau.

May 15, 2025
Perry County Bancorp in Illinois freed from Fed written agreement

Perry County Bancorp in Illinois freed from Fed written agreement

The Federal Reserve has terminated a written agreement against Perry County Bancorp in Du Quoin, Ill. The written agreement, issued in April 2023, instructed the parent of Du Quoin Bank to improve oversight over liquidity and interest rate risk. It required the board to improve the bank’s condition and maintain effective control over items such as capital, liquidity, interest rate risk management, and investment policy, among other things. More than

May 15, 2025
Primis in Va. returns to profitability after timely accounting move

Primis in Va. returns to profitability after timely accounting move

Primis Financial in McLean, Va., posted a dramatic swing back into profitability, driven by a key strategic move: The deconsolidation of Panacea Financial Holdings. The $3.7 billion-asset Primis earned $22.6 million in the first quarter after losing $23.3 million a quarter earlier. The results included a $24.6 million pre-tax gain after Primis deconsolidated Panacea Financial Holdings, a digital division focused on the medical, dental, and veterinary markets. Primis owns a

May 14, 2025
Chime files for IPO, reports rising revenue and 1Q profit

Chime files for IPO, reports rising revenue and 1Q profit

Digital banking platform Chime Financial filed its registration statement for its anticipated initial public offering. The filing does not provide insight into how many shares Chime plans to sell or the pricing. It does, however, mark a significant milestone for the fintech, which is fighting towards breakeven. Chime, which generates the vast majority of its revenue from interchange fees, reported $12.9 million of net income in the first quarter, and

May 13, 2025
Robinhood to buy Canadian crypto trading platform WonderFi

Robinhood to buy Canadian crypto trading platform WonderFi

Robinhood has agreed to buy decentralized trading platform WonderFi in Vancouver, Canada. The digital stock brokerage app said in a press release that it will pay $178.6 million for the Canadian company. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year. WonderFi, which operates regulated cryptocurrency trading platforms Bitbuy and Coinsquare, was founded in 2021 to help democratize access to digital assets. WonderFi processed more than

May 13, 2025
Embassy in Penn. fighting shareholder proposal to sell bank

Embassy in Penn. fighting shareholder proposal to sell bank

Embassy Bancorp in Bethleham, Pa., is facing a shareholder proposal to find a buyer. The $1.7 billion-asset Embassy disclosed in its proxy statement that the investor, who has a roughly 0.2% stake, claims the company is underperforming and has taken issue with a corporate lease agreement with an entity that includes directors and executives among its owners. The shareholder that Embassy’s 0.61% return on assets is suboptimal and reflects a

May 13, 2025