Strategic Insights into Banking & Fintech

Regions in Ala. to buy small-balance CRE lender

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., has agreed to buy Sabal Capital Partners, a leading originator of small-balance commercial real estate loans.  The $156 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it expected to complete the acquisition in the fourth quarter. It did not disclose the price it will pay.  Sabal has originated nearly […]

Community Bank System in N.Y. lines up acquisition

Community Bank System in DeWitt, N.Y., has agreed to buy Elmira Savings Bank in New York.  The $14.8 billion-asset Community Bank System said in a press release Monday that it will pay $82.8 million in cash for the $648.7 million-asset Elmira. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter, priced Elmira at […]

Iowa credit union to buy Home Savings in Wisconsin

Dupaco Community Credit Union in Dubuque, Iowa, has agreed to buy Home Savings Bank in Madison, Wis.  The $2.6 billion-asset Dupaco said in a press release Friday that it will pay between $23.5 million and $24.3 million in cash for the $183 million-asset Home. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. Home […]

Eagle in Montana to buy First Community Bancorp

Eagle Bancorp Montana in Helena has agreed to buy First Community Bancorp in Glasgow, Mont.  The $1.4 billion-asset Eagle said in a press release Friday that it will pay $41.3 million in cash and stock for the $374 million-asset First Community. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.  First Community shareholders will […]

WaFd Bank to pay $2.5M civil money penalty

Washington Federal in Seattle has agreed to pay a civil money penalty tied to a consent order. The $19.6 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that its bank reached an agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to make a $2.5 million payment. Washington Federal characterized the payment as a […]

SmartFinancial to transfer Virginia branch to First Bank

SmartFinancial in Knoxville, Tenn., has sold a loan portfolio and other assets to First Bank in Strasburg, Va. The $3.7 billion-asset SmartFinancial said in a press release Thursday that it will also transfer the lease to a branch in Richmond, Va., to First Bank in the fourth quarter. First Bank acquired $83 million of loans. […]

First Financial in Indiana to close nine branches

First Financial in Terre Haute, Ind., plans to close about 10% of its branches over the next two quarters. The $4.8 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that it will shutter nine locations. It closed another branch earlier this year. “Our customers are rapidly adopting our online banking platforms which provides us with […]

First Citizens, CIT extend deadline to close $2.2B merger

First Citizens BancShares in Raleigh, N.C., and CIT Group in New York have extended the deadline for their proposed merger from Oct. 15 to March 1. The $55.2 billion-asset First Citizens said in a press release that it is still waiting on approval from the Federal Reserve. The Office of the North Carolina Commissioner of […]

BancPlus extending reach in New Orleans with deal

BancPlus in Ridgeland, Miss., has agreed to buy First Trust in New Orleans. The $5.1 billion-asset BancPlus said in a press release Wednesday that it expects to complete the purchase of the $1.3 billion-asset First Trust in the first quarter. It did not disclose the price it will pay.  First Trust has 14 branches, $1.2 […]

Southern Missouri Bancorp to enter St. Louis via deal

Southern Missouri Bancorp in Poplar Bluff, Mo., will enter the St. Louis market with an agreement to buy Fortune Financial in Arnold, Mo. The $2.7 billion-asset Southern Missouri said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $29.9 million for the $254 million-asset parent of FortuneBank. Southern Missouri will also assume about $7.5 million […]

MainStreet in Va. taps exec to run new BaaS division

MainStreet Bancshares in Fairfax., Va., has promoted an insider to run its newly formed Banking as a Service division. The $1.7 billion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that Todd Youngren had become president of Avenu, a division of its bank that looks to provide services to fintechs. Youngrens previously served as managing director […]

First Financial in Indiana to merge bank subsidiaries

First Financial in Terre Haute, Ind., is planning to combine its two banking units. The $4.8 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it will merge The Morris Plan Company of Terre Haute into First Financial Bank on Dec. 31.  First Financial said the move will result in increased efficiencies, beginning in the […]

Bank of Marin CEO to retire in October

Bank of Marin Bancorp in Novato, Calif., will have a new CEO in November. The $4 billion-asset company said in a press release Friday that Tim Myers, its president and chief operating officer, will succeed Russell Colombo, who is retiring on Oct. 31. Myers will also join the company’s board. Colombo has been CEO for […]

Primis in Va. to sell minority stake in mortgage lender

Primis Financial in McLean, Va., has agreed to sell its minority stake in Southern Trust Mortgage. The $3.4 billion-asset Primis said in a press release Thursday that it expects to record a pretax charge of $2.9 million in the third quarter tied to the sale. Primis also said it will not longer accrue earnings tied […]

HarborOne buying four Boston-area branch locations

HarborOne Bancorp in Brockton, Mass., has agreed to buy four branches in Massachusetts from Independent Bank in Rockland, Mass.  The $4.6 billion-asset HarborOne said in a press release Thursday that it will buy the leases to branches that had belonged to East Boston Savings Bank, which Independent is set to buy later this year.  HarborOne […]

Valley National in N.Y. to buy Bank Leumi USA for $1.1B

Valley National Bancorp in New York has agreed to buy Bank Leumi USA in New York.  The $41 billion-asset Valley said in a press release Thursday that it will pay Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M. about $1.2 billion in cash and stock for the $8.4 billion-asset Bank Leumi. The deal, which is expected to close in the first […]

Florida de novo bank effort secures FDIC approval

Waterfall Bank, a de novo proposed for Clearwater, Fla., has secured conditional approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Organizers still need to raise $45 million before opening the bank, according to the FDIC’s Sept. 8 order. The group behind Waterfall Bank applied with the FDIC in December.  The bank would be based in the […]

Amalgamated in N.Y. entering Chicago with acquisition

Amalgamated Financial in New York will enter Chicago with an agreement to buy Amalgamated Bank. The $6.6 billion-asset Amalgamated Financial said in a press release Wednesday that it will pay $98.1 million in cash, including an earnout of up to $1.1 million, for the $950 million-asset Amalgamated Bank. The deal is expected to close by […]

Veritex in Dallas to buy ag lender North Avenue

Veritex Holdings in Dallas has agreed to buy North Avenue Capital in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The $9.3 billion-asset Veritex said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $57.5 million in cash for the government-guaranteed lender. Three years after the deal closes, North Avenue has the right, subject to adjustment, to receive another $5 […]

Chase buys college financial-planning platform Frank

JPMorgan Chase in New York has acquired Frank, a college financial-planning platform.  The $3.7 trillion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that Frank serves more than five million students at more than 6,000 higher education institutions. It did not disclose the price it paid.  “We want to build lifelong relationships with our customers,” Jennifer […]

‘The Girl Banker’ joins Citizens Bank of Edmond in impact role

Natalie Bartholomew has been named chief impact officer at Citizens Bank of Edmond in Oklahoma. Bartholomew recently served as chief administrative officer at Grand Savings Bank in Grove, Okla. She is well-known in banking circles for creating The Girl Banker, a blog that promotes women leaders in the industry. “Over the last 20 years of […]

German American makes bigger Ky. push with deal

German American Bancorp in Jasper, Ind., has agreed to buy Citizens Union Bancorp of Shelbyville in Kentucky. The $5.3 billion-asset German American said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $154 million in cash and stock for the $1.1 billion-asset Citizens Union. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter, […]

U.S. Bancorp to buy MUFG Union Bank for $8 billion

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis has agreed to buy MUFG Union Bank in San Francisco. The $559 billion-asset U.S. Bancorp said in a press release Tuesday that it will pay $8 billion in cash and stock to Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group for the $133 billion-asset MUFG Union Bank. The deal, which is expected to close in […]

MUFG Union hit with consent order tied to IT oversight

MUFG Union Bank has entered into a consent order with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. MUFG Americas Holding, the $133 billion-asset bank’s parent company, disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday that the Sept. 20 order is tied to “deficiencies in Union Bank’s technology and operational risk management.”  MUFG Americas is part of […]

Alerus in N.D. taps CFO to be its next leader

Alerus Financial in Grand Forks, N.D., will have a new CEO in 2022. The $3.2 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that Katie Lorenson, its chief financial officer, will also become president on Jan. 1. She will also join the board.  Lorenson will succeed Randy Newman, who will transition to the role of […]