John Reosti

The Stamford, Connecticut-based bank hired Steven Sugarman to be its president. The former bank CEO, who now heads one of the country's largest mission-based lenders, will help drive an effort to close a capital gap.

Community banking highlights in 2024 included strong deposit growth at a Los Angeles-based digital-only bank, continued regulatory scrutiny of banking-as-a-service arrangements, along with a transformational deal in the Old Dominion.

A record 22 credit unions announced plans to acquire banks in 2024, though the year ended on a discordant note as regulatory concerns appear to have derailed a planned CU-bank deal in Georgia.

The Seattle-based company's deal with Bank of America comes five weeks after the termination of its planned sale to FirstSun Capital Bancorp in Denver.

The New Canaan, Connecticut-based company agreed to allow Larry Seidman, who sits on its board, buy an additional 5% of its shares. Seidman currently owns about 9.5% of Bankwell.

On her way out the door, SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman issues licenses to four more nondepository lenders.

With default levels drifting higher, some program participants are calling on the incoming Trump team to rethink the Small Business Administration's approach to underwriting.

Months of painful restructuring may be paying off as the Charlottesville, Virginia-based company reported a modest third-quarter profit after more than a year of losses.

A close result was complicated by an hour-long adjournment of the New York-based company's annual meeting that angered dissident investors and left them mulling legal action.

Orange Bank and Trust in Middletown says it will operate as a boutique commercial bank, focusing on small business, nonprofits and the borough's sizzling housing construction market.

The Honolulu-based bank is taking a $19.7 million pretax loss to rid its balance sheet of low-yielding investments. It joined a parade of banks that have made similar moves.

Banking South Korean companies has become a major pillar of the Los Angeles-based Hanmi's balance sheet, with a portfolio of loans approaching $1 billion.

The Green Bay, Wisconsin-based bank will record a fourth-quarter loss after agreeing to sell $3 billion of low-yield loans and mortgages. The moves leave the bank well-positioned for 2025, CEO Andy Harmening said.

Kelly Loeffer would lead an agency that is critically important to community banks, which make tens of billions of dollars in loans annually under its largest loan program.

Donald Felix, who spent a quarter century at some of the nation's largest banks, took the helm at Carver Bancorp last month. Felix is devising a plan to return the 76-year-old Black-managed company to profitability.

The Boca Raton, Florida company is seeking to attract deposits with a product that more closely resembles the strategy many fintechs typically employ.

The Sandy, Utah-based credit union opted to part with its two New Mexico branches to focus on other geographies. At least one expert expects an uptick in branch sales as more credit unions seek to "right-size" their networks.

St. Paul, Minnesota-based Bremer Financial agreed to sell for $1.4 billion in cash and stock. It followed a yearslong legal battle between the bank and its largest shareholder that ended with a settlement this year.

The Columbus, Ohio-based regional launched Lift Local Business in October 2020 with a $25 million ceiling. Four years and $133 million later, the program is still going strong.

As banks continue investing in technology to boost productivity, they aren't losing sight of their call centers' human sides. Even as AI grows in importance, agents are more important than ever