Independence Bank can cease operations once it satisfies the conditions in an FDIC consent order. Liquidation would close out a five-year drama that began when regulators cited the bank for SBA lending irregularities.

Small lenders across the country filled leadership positions, including Orrstown Financial Services and QCR Holdings.

The Los Angeles-based parent company of Bank of Hope expects to complete its acquisition of Honolulu-based Territorial in April. The $79 million deal faced challenges when an investor group made a competing bid.

Concentrating in narrow specialties can attract both relatively low-cost deposits and low-risk loans in an era of high interest rates and economic uncertainty, lenders say.

The $15 billion-asset Seacoast is paying a hefty premium, but CEO Charles Shaffer called Heartland Bancshares an "incredibly valuable" franchise.

Changes are needed to shore up the agency's finances and guarantee the integrity of its flagship 7(a) lending program, according to a leading trade group.

The Illinois company plans to acquire neighboring Bancorp Financial in a cash-and-stock transaction that would form the second largest community bank in the Chicago area.

The Champaign, Illinois-based bank said Jeffrey Jones stepped down from his post days before it could close its acquisition of CrossFirst Bankshares. Jones' exit was not deal related, Busey said.

Community Bankshares has launched a unit that is originating Small Business Administration 7(a) loans for itself and aims to service them for other small lenders around the country.

The Connecticut bank expects to report a $9.5 million net loss for the fourth quarter, but it said it's made headway in its efforts to cultivate investors and bolster its capital levels.

The New York-based institution tapped the former Republic First CEO to help oversee its transformation from a predominantly multifamily lender into business bank.

Deal advisors said the Trump administration's tariff threats and the specter of inflation have given some bankers reason to pause on acquisition plans. Momentum could still mount, but uncertainty in Washington is a detriment early in the new year.

The three-year-old Newport Beach-based institution, which secured $500 million in investor pledges to acquire peers, says more dealmaking may be in the works.

Small lenders produced net interest margin expansion in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to interest rate cuts in the second half of 2024. Festering inflation, however, threatens to lead to rate increases that could stall their momentum.

The biggest decline was a 9.9% drop in deposits quarter-on-quarter as of Dec. 31.

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.

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

Oil and gas companies are borrowing to invest in more drilling and new processing facilities to meet rising global needs for U.S. fossil fuels. Several banks said energy loan demand is expected to strengthen further this year.

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.

The reality of banking is that some customers are riskier and more labor-intensive than some banks want to tolerate. If Congress doesn't like where banks draw the line, it needs to understand what moving it will entail.