Jim Dobbs

Bankers are already working on marketing materials and new products for commercial borrowers that might secure government contracts under President Biden's $2 trillion American Jobs Plan.

The Oklahoma regional bank said Steven Bradshaw plans to retire in March 2022.

The Michigan company recently paid $70 million to close the books on a matter dating to the last financial crisis.

Over the past year, bankers have been able to sit back and field calls from borrowers eager to take advantage of low rates. Now, with rates rising, many in the industry will likely adopt a more aggressive approach.

Four months into the job, Charles Shaffer has struck a deal for Legacy Bank of Florida and is eyeing more acquisitions. His predecessor, Dennis Hudson III, built Seacoast with more than a dozen buyouts across the Sunshine State.

Fees from forgiven Paycheck Protection Program loans are providing a short-term lift, but balance sheets are shrinking and it isn't clear what will drive future growth.

M&F Bancorp in North Carolina plans to use some of the $18 million it received from big banks to make overdue improvements to its commercial lending platform.

Acquisition-hungry Stearns Bank has been fielding so many calls from would-be sellers that it has brought in a merger specialist to sort through them.

The Delaware company would remove a rival, gain scale in affluent Philadelphia suburbs and accelerate its transformation from a branch-heavy lender to a digital-first bank with the $976 million acquisition.

“We were already shifting to recruiting more problem solvers than people handling transactions,” said Robert Fisher, CEO of Tioga State Bank in New York and incoming chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America. “That pace of change has accelerated.”