New York

The New York State Appellate Division of the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the activist investor Joseph Stilwell cannot force NorthEast Community Bancorp in White Plains, N.Y., to convert to a fully stock-owned bank.

Shareholders of KeyCorp in Cleveland and First Niagara Financial Group in Buffalo, N.Y., have approved Key’s planned purchase of First Niagara.

Bank of New York Mellon has agreed to pay $3 million to settle an investigation into its handling last year of a major software system crash.

An activist investor is laying the groundwork for a potential proxy battle with Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart.

KeyBank, a $93 billion-asset bank headquartered in Cleveland, announced plans Friday to direct $16.5 billion in lending toward low- and moderate-income communities over five years beginning in 2017.

Texas Capital Bancshares in Dallas has hired a TD Bank executive to expand its lending to franchise-related businesses.

JPMorgan Chase has named Sarah Youngwood chief financial officer for consumer and community banking.

FSB Community Bankshares in Fairport, N.Y., plans to convert from partial mutual ownership to a fully stock-owned bank.

The Cleveland company appointed Christopher Gorman as merger integration executive, according to a news release. Gorman previously was president of KeyCorp's corporate bank.

A federal judge has allowed to proceed a lawsuit in which a Belgian investor blames Bank of New York Mellon for about $1.1 billion of losses related to its role as trustee for residential mortgage securities.

Carver Bancorp in New York has named Christina Maier its chief financial officer. Maier succeeds David Toner, who resigned from the $754 million-asset bank last month to pursue other opportunities

KeyCorp in Cleveland will retain two top First Niagara Financial Group executives after it closes its acquisition of the Buffalo, N.Y., company.

The blockchain startup Digital Asset Holdings has added Sallie Krawcheck to its board.

China Life Insurance, the nation's largest insurer, agreed to buy Citigroup's stake in China Guangfa Bank for $3 billion.

Midland States Bancorp in Effingham, Ill., has agreed to buy about $400 million in wealth management assets from Sterling Bancorp in Yonkers, N.Y.

Citigroup plans to exit retail banking in Argentina and Brazil, where the company has maintained operations for more than 100 years.

Pathfinder Bancorp in Oswego, N.Y., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund program.

The burgeoning industry has been hoping the Supreme Court would overturn a problematic lower-court ruling, but the unexpected passing of a conservative stalwart makes that outcome less likely.

KeyCorp hit fresh political resistance in New York to its $4.1 billion acquisition of First Niagara Financial Group Inc., with Governor Andrew Cuomo pushing federal regulators on Wednesday to block the deal. Shares of both companies fell.

Former JPMorgan Chase executive Achilles Macris was fined $1.1 million for failing to tell authorities about concerns he had with the bank's activities in the "London Whale" case.