JPMorgan Chase’s planned expansion into more than a dozen new markets threatens community banks and larger institutions alike.

HarborOne Bancorp — led by James Blake, one of our five community bankers to watch in 2019 — is a former credit union that recently made its first bank acquisition and has Boston and other markets in its sights.

Through a unique partnership, Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union offers DMV services at two of its locations. So far the results have showcased the power of technology.

The pressure is on CEO Christopher Myers, one of our community bankers to watch, to make the most of CVB Financial's biggest acquisition to date.

Investors are spooked by banks' exposure to oil and other sectors threatened by a global slowdown as well as by policy uncertainties, but banks argue credit quality is strong and recession fears are exaggerated.

The Jacksonville, Fla.-based credit union purchased the facility from Atlantic Coast Bank for $2.2 million.

Credit unions are having a positive impact by doing everything from shredding thousands of pounds of paper to building their 492nd home for a family.

Cadence has upped the exchange ratio by 10%, a move made necessary by the 40% decline in its stock price since the deal was announced in May.

Entering 2019, lenders must think carefully about how they expand their auto loan portfolio. Failure to do so could result in bad loans and bad reviews online.

The industry could see a boost in mortgage lending from regulatory changes, but other factors may slow growth.

While these five bankers made headlines this year, not all of them did so for good reasons.

The settlement of a fight with an insurance company over officer and director coverage yielded a $6 million payout for FNCB in Dunmore.

As head of Santander Bank’s retail network, Colleen Canny will be in charge of more than 600 branches and over 4,100 employees across eight states.

There are steps financial firms can take to protect their customers in the event a major wireless network is compromised, including reconsidering the use of SMS messaging for account authentication.

The Massachusetts-based institution has paid out over $10 million to its members since 1996.

A big splash by Fifth Third, a bid by WSFS to reinvent itself and some bold long-distance expansions highlighted a year where deal activity held steady but premiums rose.

CBTX said an unauthorized person obtained personal information for about 7,800 customers.

The combination of CCF Holding, Heritage Bancorp. and Providence Bank will create a $1 billion-asset institution. Veteran bank investor Kenneth Lehman will be its chairman.

More banks were approved this year than any since the financial crisis. But challenges with raising capital, and a change in the political landscape, could deter prospective applicants next year.

The personal finance management tool will allow members to combine accounts from other institutions and track spending.