The deal to buy the First of Long Island Corp. would create a $14 billion-asset bank with $11 billion of both loans and deposits.

The top five banks in this list closed a net total of 148 branches in this time period — and 492 branches in the past 12 months.

If banks want to create customer loyalty and support growth, they need to holistically focus on the human factors that ultimately influence business outcomes.

REV Federal Credit Union in suburban Charleston, South Carolina, plans to acquire First Neighborhood Bank in West Virginia. It marks the 15th deal this year involving a credit union buying a bank, closing in on 2022's record of 16 deals.

The combined bank would have $150 million in assets, and would offer better service and more convenience, according to Pulaski Savings Bank and Mutual Federal Bank.

Lenders across the country selected new executives late in the summer, as did Virginia's community bank advocacy group.

Northwest Federal Credit Union in Herndon, Virginia, will follow FedEx as stadium-name partner for the Washington Commanders, gaining branding rights for which the logistics giant was paying nearly $8 million annually.

City National Bank plans a new branch in California that fulfills one of its settlement obligations with the DOJ; Fiserv and PayPal expand their tech collaboration; Banc of California's Monica Sparks steps down; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

It's unclear what will happen when the Fed starts cutting interest rates, but community banks will be there to support their customers no matter what the economy looks like.

CEO Dominik Mjartan is stepping down after Optus Bank increased its assets more than 1,000% over seven years.