Martin Gruenberg has set a date for his retirement as chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Gruenberg, in an internal note to the agency’s employees, said he plans to step down on Jan. 19. “Over the coming weeks I hope to have the opportunity to speak with many of you and thank you personally for your service,” he added. “Bur for now allow me to extend my gratitude to

FirstSun Capital Bancorp in Denver and HomeStreet in Seattle have terminated their planned merger after failing to secure regulatory approval. The $8.1 billion-asset FirstSun agreed in January to buy the $9.4 billion-asset HomeStreet for $286 million. As part of the transaction, FirstSun planned to raise capital and HomeStreet planned to sell commercial real estate loans. FirstSun announced in May that it would switch from a national charter to a Texas

Buckley State Bank in Buckley, Ill., is looking to hire a new president and CEO. The $50 million-asset bank is also looking to add the executives to its board, Gary Bohner at GARBO Financial Services shared in a LinkedIn post. Buckley State "is a good solid bank with an experienced staff," Bohner said. "This is an excellent opportunity and ideal situation for the right banker."

PBT Bancshares in McPherson, Kan., has applied to acquire Kanza Financial in Kingman, Kan. PBT, the parent of the $1.2 million-asset Peoples Bank and Trust recently agreed to buy the holding company for the $270 million-asset Kanza Bank in a deal expected to close in the second quarter. The price wasn't disclosed. “We are excited by the opportunity to build upon our long-standing relationship with Kanza Bank through the merger

Associated Banc-Corp in Green Bay, Wis., is raising up to $345 million that could be used to fine-tune its balance sheet. The $42.2 billion-asset company said it could sell up to 13.8 million shares of common stock if there is sufficient demand. Shares were priced at $25 each. Associated said that proceeds would used to support organic growth, including potential balance-sheet optimization strategies. "On the surface, Associated is making good

Star One Credit Union in Sunnyvale, Calif., has invested $4.5 million in a new credit union service organization (CUSO) focused on instant payments. The $9.9 billion-asset credit union is backing a CUSO created by Payfinia. The entity offers an open payments platform for credit unions and industry partners. Star One has been a Payfinia customer since the company launched in 2023. The credit union also sent a series of $500,000

Zeplyn, a software-as-a-service company that streamlines wealth management workflows, has raised $3 million in a funding round led by early-stage venture capital firm Leo Capital. Converge VC and several angel investors also participated. The New York company, founded last year by former Google engineers, offers an artificial intelligence product for financial advisors and wealth management firms that tool converts unstructured conversational data into accurate notes. Zeplyn, which has about 250

Republic First Bank failed in April largely because of a “dysfunctional” management and board that made it difficult for regulators to get a handle on the Philadelphia bank's financial condition and capital-raising plans. The bank was closed by regulators and substantially all of its deposits and assets were sold to Fulton Bank. A material loss review commissioned by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. noted that the dysfunction dates back to