Growth strategies

The Miami bank, which called off a proposed sale to a credit union last year, recruited Ramon Rodriguez from City National Bank of Florida to oversee its local lending and global banking operations.

The Flint-based credit union is the state's third in just over one year to get the OK for an expansion allowing anyone who lives or works in the state to join.

The California company acquired Civic Financial Services, which makes loans to residential real estate investors.

Any business loan growth the industry sees this year will be closely tied to mass vaccination efforts and a broader economic recovery, meaning it may take until at least the third quarter for pent-up demand to translate into new opportunities.

California Polytechnic State University is said to be seeking a new banking partner, a move that could leave the university-based credit union without a home.

The U.S. unit of Toronto-Dominion Bank merged its corporate and specialty team with its commercial banking group, putting the fast-growing operations under the same leadership.

Stephen Steinour, the head of Huntington Bancshares, approached TCF Financial about a merger three days after the latter's CEO abruptly retired. An agreement was sealed in about six weeks.

After rising losses in 2020, First Credit Union of Scranton is seeking members' approval to merge into Penn East FCU.

The new name is the first major change since Dennis Zember became the company's CEO last year.

The credit union expects to open at least eight branches across the country in the months ahead, about half of what it normally adds to its brick-and-mortar network in an average year.

The banker, who led the 2013 recapitalization that created Byline, will replace a longtime colleague who will continue to run the company's bank.

Broadway Financial had hit a plateau and was in search of a successor to its longtime CEO Wayne-Kent Bradshaw. After the Los Angeles company rejected two buyout offers, Bradshaw reconnected with an old friend at CFBanc in Washington.

A deal to bring Coulee Dam FCU into the fold will expand the Spokane, Wash.-based credit union's branch network while providing a wider array of technologies to the former CDFCU members.

Intensifying competition from banks could persuade large credit unions — particularly those with more than $1 billion of assets — to join forces in 2021.

Amerant Mortgage includes several former bankers from City National Bank of Florida in Miami.

Nitin Mhatre, who ran Webster's consumer and business banking operations, will become the company's third CEO in less than three years.

The Louisiana company has agreed for the second time to acquire Cheaha Financial Group in Alabama.

The Minnesota credit union's deal for Brainerd Savings & Loan comes about 11 months after it bought Neighborhood National Bank in Minnesota.

Flush with capital from issuing subordinated debt, Peapack-Gladstone is exploring acquisitions in Florida and New York in an effort to generate more fee revenue.

Mergers and acquisitions were largely on ice in 2020, but banks' mounting need to control expenses and invest heavily in technology could spur a comeback this year.