Grace Law, a Hong Kong native, seized an opportunity to work in a Chase branch in New York City more than 30 years ago. Today, she seeks ways to ensure her community — immigrants who are frequently overlooked by banks — has access to financial services.

Northwest Bank starts search for new CFO; Plains State Bank acquires wealth management, tax businesses; Bank of America names new heads for North America industrials banking; and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

The nation's largest bank, which acquired the remains of San Francisco-based First Republic following its failure this spring, has completed its plans to close 21 offices this year. But the consolidation effort is likely to continue.

Federal prosecutors say Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, accepted bribes in return for exerting political influence — including helping Fred Daibes, a small-bank executive who had been accused of loan fraud.

Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman, who has emerged as a leading opponent to the central bank's recent efforts to raise capital requirements, said it was "absolutely imperative" that banks make their concerns heard.

The top five banks have an average reputation score among noncustomers of 70.7 in 2023.

The parent companies of Cape Cod 5 and Fidelity Bank have agreed to combine under a multibank holding company called Mutual Bancorp. The bank units would keep their current names and operate independently but pool resources to improve efficiency.

The top five banks have an average reputation score among customers of 84.1 in 2023.

Eighteen banks announced agreements to sell themselves last month. It was the most active month for bank deals since July 2022.

The banking industry, which has a long history of sponsoring sporting events, is pouring more money into the live-music industry, according to a new report. Music-related events and properties make up 39% of the sector's sponsorship portfolio, up from 25% two years ago.

Boston-based Eastern Bankshares says its premium on the sale of Eastern Insurance Group will help fund the acquisition of Cambridge Trust and build a wealth management powerhouse. But some analysts point out more revenue is being sacrificed than gained.

The lawsuit takes issue with the agency's 2022 guidance on nonsufficient funds fees, a hot-button topic in the banking industry. The FDIC is asking a judge to dismiss the case, arguing that the plaintiffs lack standing to sue.

Denver-based InBank will expand into Georgia and Arizona, part of a wider plan to seize market share and build what one executive called a top-tier SBA lender.

The combination would create a company with $27 billion of total assets, $18 billion of loans and $22.6 billion of deposits.

The service was created to meet institutional clients' needs for real-time payments.

Bankers largely support expanding government-backed farm loan programs, and in general support continued funding for crop insurance. But politics is making swift passage of a traditionally uncontroversial bill challenging.

New-car inventories were rising after years of supply-chain woes. But the stalemate between auto manufacturers and their employees could change that dynamic — and cause knock-on effects for lenders.

The Japanese technology conglomerate withdrew its application to the National Credit Union Administration on Sept. 5, marking its fourth failed attempt to establish a financial institution in the U.S.

USAlliance Federal Credit Union names Harry Zhu as its next president and chief executive; HSBC launches business account-opening portal in 20 countries; Swift enters next phase of its central bank digital currency solution and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

Carrie Tolstedt, the company's former retail banking chief, was sentenced to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement. A federal judge detailed why she denied the stiffer sentence sought by federal prosecutors, who wanted to send a message about the consequences of white-collar crime.