FNB Corp marked the grand opening of its new downtown Pittsburgh headquarters this week. The bank owns and occupies the majority of the 26-story tower in the city's Hill District, a new addition to the city's skyline and one of the few new towers built in the city's business district in recent years. And long-time bank executive Robert Goldstein has died at 84.

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

Too often, banks confronting a problem with their anti-money-laundering compliance opt for quick fixes that fail to address the root of the problem. Building a good corporate risk culture takes time and investment.

The top five banks in this list closed a net total of 518 branches in 2024.

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.

An overhaul of the bank regulatory system is past due, but the urge to start tearing up the rule book must be resisted in favor of precision and the thoughtful application of some basic principles.

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.