Lauritzen Corp. has agreed to buy Western States BanCorp. in Laramie, Wyo.Lauritzen, the parent of the $25.7 billion-asset First National Bank of Omaha, did not disclose the price it will pay for the $542 million-asset Western States. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.Western States has 10 branches and $486 million of deposits in northern Colorado, western Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming. First National “has a long, proud history

Ion Financial in Naugatuck, Conn., has agreed to buy Lincoln Park Bancorp in Pine Brook, N.J.The $1.7 billion-asset Ion said in a press release last week that the $300 million-asset Lincoln 1st Bank will merge into its Ion Bank. The acquisition, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, will expand Ion’s footprint into northern New Jersey. Lincoln Park’s minority shareholders will receive about $7.5 million in cash,

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., has entered Washington, D.C., after hiring six bankers from Truist Financial.The $36.5 billion-asset company said in a press release that Carolyne Pelton, formerly Truist's director of aerospace, defense and government contracting, will lead the team as regional president for the national capital region.  “This is exactly the team we need to build our firm in the national capital region,” Rick Callicutt, Pinnacle’s chairman for

SmartFinancial in Knoxville, Tenn., has hired a team of bankers to enter Nashville, Tenn. The $4.4 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it had recruited two bankers from Triumph Bank, along with a lender from Reliant Bank, to pursue commercial and consumer relationships in Nashville. Rachael Meurrier, formerly with Triumph, will become SmartBank’s Williamson County market executive. Tony Graves, who had been at Reliant, will be a senior

National Bank Holdings in Denver is working on a digital platform for small and midsize businesses. The $7.1 billion-asset company provided details in an investor presentation for 2UniFi, a platform that it said would increase businesses’ access to the banking system, reduce costs and save time, and increase access to actionable and real-time information.  The presentation, which did not provide a timeline for introducing the platform, said 2UniFi will offer clients

A proposed de novo has a new name and a high-profile addition to its board. Organizers of ConNext Bank submitted a new application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Monday for deposit insurance. The group, which originally filed with the FDIC in June 2020, originally intended to call the de novo NewBank with a plan to base the financial institution in New York. The de novo, which would operate as a unit

Blue Foundry Bancorp in Rutherford, N.J., said it will recognize a $2 million charge in the fourth quarter tied to its exit from a defined-benefit plan.The $2 billion-asset company said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that it had decided in August to withdraw from the tax-qualified, multiple-employer defined benefit pension plan. The move was authorized, effective Sept. 30. The company recognized a $9.2 million charge in the third quarter tied to

A group in Irvine, Calif., is looking to form a minority depository institution.Organizers applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Nov. 18 for Bank Irvine. The proposed bank, which will primarily work with the Chinese-American community in Orange and Los Angeles counties, is looking to become an MDI. The proposed bank “will be a commercial bank focused on providing traditional banking products and services to local small- and medium-size businesses,