PeoplesBank and Cornerstone Bank entered into an agreement to combine their holding companies in a deal slated to close early in 2025. The banks would continue to operate separately.

Financial services professionals should be in the business of normalizing discussions about personal finance. The result will be a more financially literate population, and that's good for everyone.

AI tools, such as large language models, offer the promise of increased efficiency; but they also carry with them potential legal and regulatory risks. Financial service providers will need to find a way to strike the right balance as technological advancements continue to emerge.

The high court will determine how much deference judges should give to regulators in interpreting laws passed by Congress. The upcoming ruling has especially big implications for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has drawn the banking industry's ire.

During the nine years Kevin Riley led the Billings, Montana-based institution, it quadrupled its size, largely through deals. New leadership could mean that the company focuses less on M&A and more on integration.

MC Bancshares and Heritage NOLA Bancorp announced plans to combine in 2023, but the companies called off the deal after difficulties securing approvals. It amplified what an analyst called the "ever-present risk" of examiner scrutiny.

IntraFi has joined two banking industry trade groups spearheading an effort to source large institutional deposits at small, cash-starved CDFI and MDI banks.

As high interest rates continue weighing on banks' balance sheets, some are selling branches to real estate firms and leasing them back. The strategy is helping lenders that want to restructure their underwater bond portfolios.

The bank said it would reduce its physical footprint by nearly 15% as part of an effort to reduce overlapping operations, drive cost savings and meet profitability targets tied to its May acquisition of Lakeland Bancorp.

Legislation enabling new banklike stablecoin issuers would create direct competition for deposits, with small U.S. banks in the most danger. Where is the pushback from the industry?

Dickinson Financial in Missouri has no intention of departing from its expansionary mindset as it lays plans for de novo branches and scouts new acquisition opportunities.

Late payments, which have been on a steady rise since 2021, are now climbing at a slower rate or even declining at some major card issuers. Risks remain, but there's 'reason to be cautiously optimistic," one analyst said.

Investors homed in on the benefits of positive economic data for lenders, rather than the possibility of a strong job market delaying interest rate cuts that would help to lower deposit costs and boost credit demand.

This year a California bank takes the No. 1 spot on American Banker's annual list of the best performing community banks.

Though hard times put a dent in profitability, asset quality and net interest margin continued to shine among the list of the best performing publicly traded community banks.