Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

S&T in Penn. latest bank to eliminate NSF fees

S&T Bancorp in Indiana, Pa., will eliminate all nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees for consumer and business deposit accounts. The $9.1 billion-asset company said in a press release that its returned-item fees will go away on April 3. S&T will introduce a new program where it will not charge an overdraft fee if account is overdrawn […]

Investor group plans to buy Utah bank, seek MDI status

An investor group led by one of Martin Luther King’s children and a former Trump Administration official has agreed to buy Holladay Bank and Trust in Salt Lake City. Redemption Holding Co. said in a press release that it plans to seek approval to become a bank holding company. It also plans to turn the […]

U.S. Bancorp facing ‘potential enforcement action’ from CFPB

U.S. Bancorp said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is considering “a potential enforcement action” tied to the Minneapolis company’s handling of prepaid cards for unemployment benefits. The $593 billion-asset company’s disclosure comes months after it said the CFPB was investigating the matter. U.S. Bancorp reiterated in its annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission […]

Apex Bank in Tenn. to move corporate headquarters

Apex Bank in Camden, Tenn., plans to move its corporate headquarters to West Knoxville. The $1.1 billion-asset bank has a contract to buy the former Discovery campus from Warner Bros., according to multiple media reports. The price of the transaction, which is expected to close on March 31, wasn’t disclosed. In addition to its corporate […]

Black-owned bank in Houston lands $50M investment

Unity National Bank of Houston has received a $50 million investment from Baker Hughes, an energy technology company. Baker Hughes said in a press release that the investment in the $215 million-asset Black-owned bank came in the form of a $50 million deposit in J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Empower share class. “We have a responsibility […]

Fintech executives propose buying Illinois bank

Two executives at Metallicus, a San Francisco fintech, has applied to form a bank holding company and buy State Bank of Nauvoo in Illinois. The company, which develops product on the blockchain, said in a press release that it created FBBT Holdings to expand banking and financial services to underserved clients in emerging technology industries. […]

Three more banks settle Stanford-related litigation

TD Bank in Toronto; Independent Bank Group in McKinney, Texas; and HSBC Holdings are the latest banks to settle longstanding litigation tied to Stanford Financial Group. TD Bank agreed to pay $1.2 billion to settle claims it aided in the $7 billion Ponzi scheme. Independent, which inherited exposure from a past acquisition, will pay $100 […]

Synergy to enter new market via acquisition

Synergy Bancshares in Houma, La., has agreed to buy Peoples Bancshares of Pointe Coupee Parish in New Roads, La. The $763 million-asset Synergy said in a press release that it expects to complete the purchase of the parent of the $337 million-asset Peoples Bank in the third quarter. The price wasn’t disclosed. Synergy will enter […]

HarborOne outgrows Mass. deposit-insurance fund

HarborOne Bancorp in Brockton, Mass., has changed its bank’s charter after getting too big to use a benefit of being a state-chartered savings bank. The $5.4 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that HarborOne Bank switched to a state-chartered trust company and ended its membership in the Depositors Insurance Fund. The DIF insures deposit […]

CUES begins search for next CEO

The Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) in Madison, Wis., has hired a search firm to help it find a successor for John Pembroke, who died in November. CUES hired DDJ Myers to help it find a new president and CEO, according to the Credit Union Times. Pembroke “created a solid foundation and trajectory for the […]

Fed again rejects Custodia request for supervision

The Federal Reserve Board has rejected a request by Custodia Bank to reconsider last month’s decision to deny the Cheyenne, Wyo., company’s application to be supervised by the Fed. The Fed rejected Custodia’s application after concluding that it was “inconsistent with the required factors under the law.” The regulator determined that the business model and […]

Citizens Trust to hold USDC reserves for Circle

Citizens Trust Bank in Atlanta will hold about $65 million of USD Coin (USDC) cash reserves for Circle Internet Financial in Boston. Circle, a digital fintech firm that issues USDC, said the agreement is part of a broader effort to allocate a share of USDC dollar-denominated reserves to minority depository institutions (MDIs) and community banks. “For […]

Regulators warn about crypto-related liquidity risk

Federal bank regulators are warning banks to be diligent about potential runs associated with crypto-related deposits. The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposits Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, in a joint statement, pressed banks to keep an eye on certain crypto-related deposits. They pointed specifically to deposits banks hold for crypto firms’ clients […]

First Foundation, investor spar over director nominations

A potential battle is brewing at First Foundation after the Dallas company invalidated an attempt by an activist investor to have individuals stand for board election. The $13 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it determined that Driver Management’s nomination notice was “materially deficient” and that its window for accepting nominations had closed. […]

Byline briefly walked away from Inland merger talks

Byline Bancorp in Chicago briefly walked away from talks to buy Inland Bancorp in Oak Brook, Ill. The $7.4 billion-asset Byline agreed in late November to buy the $1.2 million-asset Inland for $165 million in cash and stock. Initial talks between the companies ended last May before being resurrected three months later, according to a […]

Dietrich Bank in Illinois lines up next CEO

Dietrich Bank in Effingham, Ill., will soon have a new CEO. The $1.2 billion-asset bank said in a press release that Jason Semple, its chief financial officer, will succeed the retiring Chuck Deters on May 1. Semple will also join the boards of the bank and its holding company, Prime Banc Corp. Deters, who has […]

Main Street in W.Va. merging with Wayne in Ohio

Main Street Financial Services in Wheeling, W.Va., has agreed to buy Wayne Savings Bancshares in Wooster, Ohio. The $604.3 million-asset Main Street said in a press release that it will pay $68 million in stock for the $729.8 million-asset Wayne Savings. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year. Wayne Savings’ […]

First Citizens puts its name on equipment finance unit

First Citizens BancShares in Raleigh, N.C., has rebranded its vendor equipment finance unit. The $109.3 billion-asset company said in a press release that CIT Business Capital has been renamed First Citizens Bank Equipment Finance. First Citizens obtained the business from its January 2022 purchase of CIT Group. “This brand transition is about much more than […]

Partners finds new merger partner in LINKBANCORP

LINKBANCORP in Camp Hill, Pa., has agreed to buy Partners Bancorp in Salisbury, Md. The $1.2 billion-asset LINK agreed to pay $167.8 million in stock for the $1.6 billion-asset parent of Bank of Delmarva and Virginia Partners Bank. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. The announcement comes weeks after OceanFirst Financial […]

OIG: 136 FDIC-insured banks have crypto strategies

At least 136 banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. had ongoing or planned crypto-related activities in January. Many of the banks have third-party arrangements that let the bank’s customers buy and sell crypto assets, the FDIC said in its latest Office of Inspector General report. Banks also provide account deposit services, custody services […]

How Mid Penn landed a deal for Brunswick in NJ

Brunswick Bancorp in New Brunswick, N.J., considered six offers before agreeing to negotiate exclusively with Mid Penn Bancorp in Harrisburg, Pa. The $4.3 billion-asset Mid Penn agreed to buy the $382 million-asset Brunswick on Dec. 20 for $53.9 million. Brunswick’s search for a buyer began in 2021 when it “engaged in substantial discussions” with two […]

Provident in Mass. removes ‘interim’ from leaders’ titles

Provident Bancorp in Amesbury, Mass., has locked down its top leadership. The $1.6 billion-asset company said in a press release that Carol Houle and Joe Reilly are now its permanent co-presidents and co-CEOs. The executives had held interim titles since Dec. 23. Houle will continue to serve as Provident’s chief financial officer, a role she has […]

Buckeye State to buy Rockhold Bancshares in Ohio

Buckeye State Bancshares in Powell, Ohio, has agreed to buy Rockhold Bancshares in Bainbridge, Ohio. The parent of the $320 million-asset Buckeye State Bank expects to complete the purchase of Rockhold and its $46.6 million-asset bank in the third quarter, according to an announcement by Performance Trust Capital Partners, which advised Buckeye State. The price […]

Washington Business Bank’s sale called off

Washington Business Bank in Olympia no longer plans to sell itself to an individual investor.   The $97.5 million-asset bank said in a press release that the proposed sale, which was announced in May 2022, has been terminated.   “The regulatory approval process continued longer than we expected and the individual investor ultimately withdrew the […]

PacWest cutting 200 jobs at Civic Financial unit

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles plans to lay off 200 employees at a unit that lends to real estate investors. The $41.2 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that the cuts are part of its previously announced plan to restructure Civic Financial Services in Redondo Beach, Calif. The restructuring plan includes reducing the number […]