Paul Davis

Spirit Community Bank is the 15th bank to get the agency's approval this year. That list also includes Community Bank of the Carolinas, which was approved in early December.

James McLemore, one of our community bankers to watch in 2019, has more energy loans to purge and must exit the Small Business Lending fund and a BSA-related enforcement action.

It was a year to remember for women executives at SunTrust and Amex’s new CEO, and one to forget for Wells Fargo and investors in bank stocks.

While these five bankers made headlines this year, not all of them did so for good reasons.

A big splash by Fifth Third, a bid by WSFS to reinvent itself and some bold long-distance expansions highlighted a year where deal activity held steady but premiums rose.

CBTX said an unauthorized person obtained personal information for about 7,800 customers.

Selling $1.6 billion in mortgages, and paying off a similar amount of wholesale borrowings, will allow the company to expand its net interest margin in 2019.

Stock Yards will remove a competitor in Louisville, Ky., and enter two markets outside of the city.

The sale should increase Shore's capital levels and allow it to expand its banking activities.

Colony will also gain a loan production office in Atlanta when the transaction closes.