John Reosti

An order permitting CSBH LLC in Powhattan, Virginia, to acquire a controlling stake in Industry Bancshares promises to give the Texas company a fresh start in one of the country's most attractive banking markets.

CEO-designate Gunjan Kedia said payments growth is critical to the Minneapolis-based regional's overall success. Dealmaking will take a back seat to organic growth for the time being, she added.

The Ontario-based lender announced a partnership that represents the first dividend from its recent acquisition of a Minnesota-based community bank.

The Columbus, Ohio-based bank has unveiled a product that lets adults who need help managing their finances and guarding against fraud give limited account access to someone they trust.

Founder Ken LaRoe says his decision to step back from daily management chores will help the Orlando, Florida-based Climate First Bancorp maintain its independence.

Fairfax-based MainStreet Bancshares is pivoting to the niche business as a means to boost its Avenu banking-as-a-service platform, which has failed to hit deposit and revenue targets.

The Rutherford-based Blue Foundry Bancorp reported an eighth consecutive quarter of red ink, but a widening margin and positive loan growth trends hint at better times ahead.

Executives at the Wilmington Delaware-based bank are optimistic about 2025. Its results in the final three months of last year were hurt by an "isolated" incident in its 26-year-old ATM servicing business.

Financial services providers in the region say they're ready to do their part rebuilding Southern California after a series of devastating fires. For many regional and community banks, initial fire-damage surveys identified limited impact.

The Green Bay, Wisconsin bank lost $164 million after selling $2 billion of loans and securities for a loss. Asset quality remains strong while the balance-sheet restructuring tees Associated up for a strong rebound this year, executives say.

The Bethesda, Maryland, company projects increases in loans and deposits as its C&I lending strategy gears up. Criticized and past-due loans appear to be declining even with a jump in nonperforming assets.

Mercantile Bank Corp. in Grand Rapids achieved a 20% increase in deposits in 2024, an amount that was ample enough to fund robust loan growth and scale back reliance on costlier wholesale funding.

The Columbus, Ohio-based bank's profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter from a year ago, with solid growth in loans and deposits.

The Pittsburgh-based company's fourth-quarter earnings increased more than 80% from the same period in 2023, beating analysts' expectations and leaving CEO Bill Demchak upbeat about 2025 prospects, though M&A likely remains off the table.

Mohit Ramani joins the Cleveland-based company next week. His predecessor, Darrin Benhart, will fill a newly created role as Key's chief regulatory officer.

Banks seeking to offload CRE assets are finding a receptive marketplace while regulators have managed to keep the situation in balance, observers say.

Clearfield-based CNB Financial's planned acquisition of ESSA Bancorp in Stroudsburg would create an $8 billion-asset company with 49 branches and nearly $5 billion of deposits in the Keystone State.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company called its success in luring a team from Capital One as its most "newsworthy" move to date executing a strategy aimed at diversifying its lending operation.

Reading Cooperative's combination with Wakefield Cooperative, the third deal involving Boston-area banks announced in the past month, would create a $1.2 billion community bank.

Arrow Financial in Glens Falls kept busy in December, consolidating its two subsidiary banks, expanding its board and restructuring its securities portfolio.