Washington

The company has agreed to buy Puget Sound Bancorp to expand in a competitive, fast-growth market.

Anchor Bancorp in Laney, Wash., lowered its expectations in the face of impatient investors and buyers’ concerns about antitrust, credit quality and other issues.

The Washington company said that Sean Brennan, its president and chief operating officer, will become CEO when Jim Mitchell retires next year.

Brent Beardall, who recently took the helm at Washington Federal, discusses having excess capital, myriad potential fintech partners and why he would tweak — not repeal — Dodd-Frank.

Hadley Robbins succeeded Melanie Dressel, who died unexpectedly on Sunday. Columbia will begin a search for a permanent CEO.

Columbia Banking's CEO, who died unexpectedly on Sunday, was a thoughtful and tenacious leader who leaves a legacy of turning a small Washington bank into a regional power in the Pacific Northwest.

In addition to transforming Columbia Banking System and navigating it through the financial crisis, Dressel was an industry leader.

An influx of new people to the Pacific Northwest and Southeast could have big implications for banking, from M&A to de novo efforts.