John Reosti

The Wilmington, North Carolina-based small-business lender is prepping a wider rollout of the business checking account it introduced in the first quarter. Chairman and CEO Chip Mahan said the move will allow the company to "nip at [its competitors'] edges as their customers feel less appreciated."

The $417 million agreement would give Richmond, Virginia-based Atlantic Union Bankshares "the critical mass" it needs in its home state and neighboring North Carolina, according to CEO John Asbury. He and his counterpart Jeff Haley at American National Bankshares in Danville, Virginia, describe each other as longtime pals.

Chairman and CEO Chris Gorman said Key's reduction efforts were prompted by an expectation big banks will be expected to operate with significantly lower loan-to-deposit ratios going forward.

Several community banks noted an uptick in problem loans in second-quarter earnings reports. Small lenders should brace for more of this, industry observers noted.

Executives say Bank of New York Mellon can maintain its upbeat forecasts on net interest income and perhaps beat its expense-control goals. However, they warn deposits could shrink in the second half.

The New York megabank benefited duing the second quarter from strong revenue growth in its giant credit card business, which helped overcome headwinds in wealth management and investment banking. But executives indicated that the script could soon flip.

Isabella Guzman, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, skipped a congressional hearing called to discuss the wide disparity in the level of fraud calculated by her staff and a parallel examination conducted by SBA's Office of the Inspector General.

With no settlement in sight, Spencer Savings Bank's case against a group of former depositors it says conspired with Larry Seidman to force a conversion appears headed for a courtroom battle.

The Cleveland-based regional bank recently announced a $20 million line of credit for Lendistry, a Los Angeles-based, minority-led community development financial institution.

Dallas-based Texas Capital Bank believes virtual credit cards, offered through a new fintech partnership, can help small-business customers make their payment processes more efficient.

After working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for a decade, Marc Minish was determined that he could open his own institution. Now he is the primary organizer of the proposed Nova Bank in Huntsville, Alabama, which has received conditional regulatory approval.

Activist investor Abbott Cooper said he could continue his campaign against the Dallas-based company's management and board even if his candidate falls short in her bid to become a director.

For large community banks, ensuring minimum problematic loans is an important financial metric. In fact, of the top 20 midsize banks, 17 reported nonperforming loans below 1% of total assets.

As it pushes the boundaries of its Midwestern footprint, the Columbus, Ohio-based bank is on pace to book more than 6,000 7(a) loans in SBA's 2023 fiscal year, the biggest total in seven years.

The Dallas-based institution has hired Dan Sheehan, a veteran banker and the former CEO of Professional Bank, to head the effort that will include opening a branch in Palm Beach County later this year.

Paulding County, northwest of Atlanta, is Georgia's second-fastest growing county, but after years of consolidation just one community bank has a branch there.

Beach Cities Commercial Bank is set to open in Southern California next week. Rising interest rates and consolidation in recent decades have created more opportunities for investors to form new banks, experts said.

Cogent Bank in Orlando says it took two branches in the Southwestern part of the state less than three years to amass $400 million of deposits.

Led by Chairman Marshall Reynolds, the entire board of directors participated in a private placement that raised $10 million for the Hammond, Louisiana, company.

A pair of mutual banks in Maryland and New York that sold minority stakes more than a decade ago are pursuing second-step offerings that will result in both becoming fully stock-traded companies.