Heritage Financial in Olympia, Wash., has a new leader. The company said in a press release that Bryan McDonald had become its CEO and joined its board. McDonald, who remains president, succeeded Jeffrey Deuel, who retired. Deuel will remain a part-time employee as an adviser until March 31, 2027. “I want to thank the Heritage team for their valuable partnership these past 15 years, and I look forward to seeing

Gulf Capital Bank in Houston has formed a small business lending group. The $539 million-asset bank said in a press release that it created the group after hiring Saman Noorani and Sebastian Aguirre. Noorani, who was SBA regional director at Southwestern National Bank, was named director of SBA lending. Aguirre, previously an SBA underwriter at Southwestern, has the same role at Gulf Capital. "Saman will further complement our established focus

Central Plains Bancshares in Grand Island, Neb., will soon have a new CEO. The company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Danny Garness will also become its president on May 20. Garness, who was chief lending officer at Field & Main Bank in Henderson, Ky., will succeed Steven Kunzman, who is retiring but will remain chairman.

Upstart Holdings in San Mateo, Calif., entered into a one-year strategic partnership with OnePay to focus on marketing consumer lending products to Walmart customers. Upstart disclosed in a regulatory filing that its agreement with OnePay, which is majority-owned by Walmart, will include co-branded direct mail campaigns and other collaborative offerings. Upstart said it does not expect the deal to have a material impact on its financial condition or 2025 results.

The Independent Community Bankers of America announced the participants in its ninth ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, with artificial intelligence serving as a major focus. The program is set to run from May 19 to July 25 and will include: Beta Financial Services, which offers an AI-powered credit scoring platform Clockout, a white-labeled Earned Wage Access (EWA) infrastructure provider. DeepSee, which offers a flexible AI operating system that streamlines operations. Overwatch

First Business Financial Services in Madison, Wis., is entering the final stage of succession planning. The $3.9 billion-asset company said in a press release that Corey Chambas plans to retire as CEO on May 2, 2026. David Seiler, the company's president and chief operating officer is set to succeed Chambas, who will remain on the board. “Corey’s commitment to First Business Bank’s founding mission – to be the experts our

Foresight Financial Group in Winnebago, Ill., has consolidated six banks under a single charter. The $1.6 billion-asset company said in a press release that it formed Foresight Bank by collapsing the charters of the former German American State Bank, Northwest Bank of Rockford, State Bank of Freeport, Lena State Bank, State Bank of Davis, and State Bank of Herscher. The consolidation “allows us to better serve our customers and communities,”

Frontier Credit Union in Idaho Falls has agreed to buy First Citizens Bank of Butte in Montana. The $687 million-asset credit union announced the planned purchase of the $75 million-asset bank on its website. The price wasn't disclosed. “We’re not just expanding our footprint—we’re extending our mission of helping people build better lives," Frontier CEO Dan Thurman said in the release. “This transaction brings tremendous opportunities for our customers and