Tanaya Macheel

Oak Valley Bancorp in Oakdale, Calif., has promoted Jeff Gall to chief financial officer. Gall had been the vice president of finance and accounting.

Banks have made changes to overdrafts, such as lowering fees offering clearer explanations. They better, as the CFPB will soon offer new rules for overdrafts. Plus, overdraft revenue has declined at many banks. Still unanswered is the question of how to offer short-term credit, if overdrafts disappear.

Customers Bancorp in Wyomissing, Pa., plans to raise $30 million in an aggregate offering of its common stock.

BB&T Corp. in Winston-Salem, N.C., has received approval from the Federal Reserve Board to buy National Penn Bancshares in Allentown, Pa.

California Republic Bancorp in Irvine has securitized $380 million of its prime auto loans.

Northwest Bancorp. in Spokane, Wash., has announced that Chief Executive Randall Fewel will retire at the end of the year.

Citi adds two more female directors, including Ellen Costello; social media allows small banks to connect with people who aren't coming into the branch, says one of our community bankers of the year (and if you're on Twitter, you probably already know who), and Mary Wisniewski asks, how can fintech hope to disrupt banking when it's no different than banking? (Hard not to notice the sexism and the dearth of women when you are one.)

Digital Asset Holdings is reportedly seeking a $35 million funding round that would put the blockchain technology startup’s valuation at $100 million.

Citigroup has appointed Ellen Costello, former BMO Financial chief executive, and Intel President Renee James to its board.

Investors Bancorp in Short Hills, N.J., has hired a former Capital One Financial executive to head its enterprise risk management team.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., has created a formal division for lending to municipal governments and has promoted executive Debbie McLeod to lead the venture.

Ally Financial in Detroit has promoted David Shevsky to chief risk officer, after its previous executive in that role left for Santander Bank's holding company.

The $467 million-asset mutual thrift appointed Patricia Stetler to the role this week.

The $5.6 billion-asset multibank holding company hired Fontaine to replace Ed Hooks, who has been its counsel since 1992 and who will retire at the end of the year.

Salisbury Bancorp. in Lakeville, Conn., has issued $10 million in subordinated debt and plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

JPMorgan Chase's Eileen Serra is giving up her CEO title (for a very interesting reason); CIT Group's Ellen Alemany is getting to work sooner than expected with a big housecleaning; and Meredith Whitney resurfaces with an insurance company. Plus, inclusion confusion, the "Person of the Year" (it's a woman for the first time in 29 years), and Saudi Arabia.

CIT Group will pay about $60 million in severance to 14 executives who have been dismissed or left the company, as it continues to shuffle its executive lineup following its August acquisition of OneWest Bank.

Carolina Financial in Charleston, S.C., plans to raise $30 million in a public offering of its common stock.

Bank of Lancaster in Kilmarnock, Va. has promoted Susan Pittman to the newly created position of chief lending officer.

Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., which has made 15 bank deals since 2010, has raised $110 million in an offering of its common stock.