Corporate governance

The company’s retail banking and auto-lending businesses in the U.S. generated a larger share of overall profits in the first quarter, and Executive Chairman Ana Botín and other executives unveiled expansion plans for both units.

The Arkansas bank is turning to asset-based lending and loans to venture capital and other investment groups to help fill a void created by a shortage of new, big-ticket commercial real estate deals.

Mike Daniels has been president and CEO of Nicolet's bank since 2015.

The Dallas company will pay nearly $54 million for a 49% stake in a lender that operates in 10 states.

The $56 million acquisition will extend Southern California Bancorp's footprint north of Los Angeles.

Profits slumped last year and many investors are now voicing their displeasure with the compensation awarded to senior leaders. A nonbinding “say on pay” vote taken Tuesday passed narrowly, but Chairman Charles Noski indicated that the board will take the results into account when designing future pay packages.

Citigroup said a full review conducted after the lender mistakenly sent $900 million to a group of investment firms concluded the bank didn’t need to claw back any pay from executives.

The Missouri company announced the deal just five months after buying Seacoast Commerce in San Diego.

The merger would create a company with nearly 400 branches, 87 loan production offices and $87 billion of assets.

The proposed acquisition is the second deal in as two days to involve an Atlanta-based seller.