Corporate governance

Rockefeller Capital Management will buy Whitnell & Co., a business Associated bought in 2017 that manages $1.4 billion of assets.

Divvy, the financial-technology company that offers corporate cards and expense-management software to small businesses, said it’s now valued at $1.6 billion after raising money from investors including PayPal Holdings Inc.

The California company, which focuses on technology companies and entrepreneurs, will make a big push into wealth management as part of the proposed acquisition.

Inside Wells Fargo, managers say they intend to build a more commensurate presence on Wall Street, where the firm ranks a mere ninth in capital markets and deal advisory, by focusing on business lines and industries where it already has credibility.

The National Credit Union Administration may get a new leader, several institutions could seek to expand their fields of membership, and a pot banking fight may reemerge.

Speculation is swirling that the Boston company will go on a buying spree after raising $1.8 billion, though some investors are advising caution. This tension makes CEO Bob Rivers one of our community bankers to watch in 2021.

The New Canaan, Conn., company said it will record a pretax expense of $3.9 million in the fourth quarter related to branch and office closings, severance payments and the end of a vendor contract.

The switch to Thomas Cangemi from longtime CEO Joseph Ficalora could foreshadow a push to curtail the company’s reliance on multifamily lending and the pursuit of a bank acquisition that lowers funding costs.

Chris Maher recently unloaded loans hurt by the coronavirus shock, convinced he was freeing the New Jersey company of baggage that could impede a large M&A deal. This assertive move makes him one of our community bankers to watch in 2021.

The company promoted two executives as part of an effort to revamp its leadership team and establish a bigger presence in the Carolinas.

Gilles Gade, one our community bankers to watch in 2021, led an effort that made Cross River Bank one of the biggest Paycheck Protection Program participants. He is ready for his team to pick up where it left off when the new stimulus package kicks in.

Longtime chairman and CEO Joseph Ficalora will step aside Thursday as head of the regional bank and be succeeded by CFO Thomas Cangemi.

The Federal Reserve is credited with containing damage to the financial system from the coronavirus pandemic, but experts say the limits of the central bank’s power to prop up the economy will likely become more apparent in the new year.

Members of $6.3 million-asset FIAFE Federal Credit Union will vote early next year on whether to merge into $43 million-asset Central Credit Union of Maryland.

With one study showing consumers racking up additional credit card debt this season, some members may be eager to consolidate their balances in the year ahead.

Riverside Health System Employees Credit Union has announced plans to merge into the Yorktown-based credit union, which is roughly 100 times its size.

The company will pay $20 million in cash for a bank with two branches and $58 million of loans.

Raymond, the former Exxon Mobil boss who has been on the bank's board for more than three decades, notified JPMorgan Chase of his intention to resign effective Dec. 31, according to a regulatory filing.

Noninterest income has bolstered profits this year. But its growth is expected to slow over the next two years, making for a gloomy earnings outlook unless vaccine distributions and the economic recovery are relatively swift.