Local financial institutions have fewer branches than big banks, and closing even one location makes it harder for them to serve their communities.

In the short term, the Biden administration is asking the industry to help previously unbanked households access their funds. Longer term, some banks see a real opportunity in advising their customers on what to do with the large cash influx.

Ando, a challenger bank focused on sustainability, is helping Virginia Community Capital Bank expand its 5-year-old clean energy lending program by finding a bigger pool of depositors who are eager to fund solar loans.

Steven Schnall, the New York community development financial institution's founder and CEO, discusses its plans to let customers buy and sell bitcoin through their bank accounts, use a ring to make debit card purchases and have a better shot at a home loan.

First United Bank in Oklahoma bought a minority stake in Exencial Wealth Advisors instead of acquiring it outright to give the owners an incentive to stick around and help build the business — and to make it easier for the bank to bail if things don't work out.

Stacy Kymes, the bank's chief operating officer and a 25-year company veteran, will succeed the retiring Steven Bradshaw.

Banks should favor the development of U.S. data rules that let them freely share consumer information with, and receive it from, fintechs. The alternative, where banks merely send data to third parties for a fee, would be less competitive and less beneficial for all parties.

First National Bank of Omaha and Centime, a Boston software company, have developed a tool that banks rarely offer small businesses: a portal that forecasts cash flow, helps entrepreneurs anticipate shortages and provides a ready source of credit when they fall short.

“You need scale to keep up with necessary technology spend and regulatory costs,” CEO James Hillebrand said in explaining why the bank agreed to buy Commonwealth Bank & Trust just three months after it bought Kentucky Bancshares.

First Hawaiian and Bank of Hawaii are warning that a global spike in coronavirus cases could stunt the state's momentum and threaten credit quality.

Customers are responding well so far to the Minneapolis bank's May rollout of video appointments with branch bankers.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s pledge to rescind Trump-era Community Reinvestment Act reforms and work with other regulators suggests that an interagency agreement is within reach. But outstanding issues remain, particularly around the treatment of online banking activities.

The digital lender, which bought Radius Bancorp in February, still expects to record a full-year loss partly because of merger-related costs. But its stock price soared Thursday after it reported second-quarter net income of $9.37 million.

Democratic proposals to offer free accounts, restrict overdraft fees and cap interest rates have zero chance of passage. But analysts say lawmakers’ push for products that help consumers is influencing some banks’ decisions to institute reforms on their own.

The high cost of living in the state's bigger markets is limiting growth and turning off buyers. CVB Financial and TriCo Bancshares found sellers in the more affordable cities of Visalia and Bakersfield.

The pandemic created a new expectation that banks should show empathy for customers in crisis. Let’s keep it that way.

The very smallest banks, whose numbers shrank during the financial crisis, were most likely to express concern that the housing market will imperil the broader economy.

Wintrust has developed a specialty financing insurance premium payments for companies and individuals while PacWest and Signature Bank are meeting strong demand for loans to venture funds that invest in technology firms.