Visa is introducing a premium service to the Middle East, and Lloyds Banking says its cash protection product is showing results. Plus, Brex teams up with Doordash and more in the American Banker global payments and fintech roundup.

The Denver-based bank-holding company's pending acquisition of Vista Bancshares in Dallas is an opportunity to expand into key fast-growing Texas markets and deepen its talent bench, CEO Tim Laney told analysts.

The CEOs of Pinnacle Financial Partners and Synovus Financial — two banks that recently announced a deal to join forces — say they've ironed out all the critical sticking points that bedeviled previous mergers of equals.

Bill Demchak said at an industry conference that PNC effectively "bought Colorado" with its recently announced plan to acquire the $27 billion-asset FirstBank.

CEO Curtis Farmer tried to assure skeptics Tuesday that the Dallas-based bank is focused on shareholder value and profitability, even as an activist investor group prepares to launch a board fight.

The Columbus, Ohio-based regional bank announced plans to acquire Dallas-based Veritex Financial in July. On Monday, a Huntington executive called the deal a "springboard" for additional organic growth.

The Pittsburgh-based company's plan to buy FirstBank marks its first bank deal since its purchase of BBVA USA in 2021, which rapidly propelled its presence in the South and Southeast.

Equity Bancshares is expanding into Nebraska with the proposed acquisition of Omaha-based Frontier Holdings; Valley National Bancorp taps Patrick Smith as its new president of consumer banking; Northern Trust in Chicago promoted Michael Hunstad to president of asset management; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The proposed Berkshire Hills-Brookline merger is expected to finalize on Sept. 1; Flagstar Financial has scheduled a special shareholders' meeting to simplify the bank's regulatory structure; former Credit Suisse executives agreed to settle a suit filed by shareholders claiming they failed to maintain adequate risk management; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

On Thursday, the two banks disclosed a presentation that seeks to reinforce the strategic rationale behind the proposed $8.6 billion deal.