Texas

Texas' SB 1281 introduces harsher penalties — up to life in prison — and targets check fraud as banks report rising financial crimes tied to stolen mail.

The Texas attorney general has accused WEX Bank of "debanking" a firearm supplier, but the Maine-based bank said it does not discriminate against any industry.

The prolific purchaser is entering the state in a bid to expand its Southwest presence.

The all-cash deal would solidify the $50 billion-asset regional bank's position in the fast-growing Lone Star State and offer double-digit earnings accretion.

Texas and nine other Republican-led states are ratcheting up pressure on Wall Street's diversity programs, asking firms about their policies on hiring and supplier selections as the Trump administration moves to gut DEI.

Houston-based Prosperity Bancshares said it closed its purchase of Lone Star State Bancshares about a year later than initially planned.

The Columbus, Ohio, regional bank will focus first on Dallas before venturing statewide. Its move into the Lone Star State comes three months after announcing a similar initiative in the Carolinas.

The Attorney General's office found the firm complies with a 2021 state law banning contracts with companies that "discriminate" against the firearm industry.

"Florida will not side with economic central planners; we will not adopt policies that threaten personal economic freedom and security," said Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Though housing is experiencing severe rate-related stress, mortgage banking remains central to the Denver-based bank's business model. The Texas market has held up better than much of the rest of the country, company executives say.