Under Jill Castilla, the once-sleepy Citizens has been transformed into a thoroughly modern institution that has become a model for other small banks trying to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive financial services marketplace. For that reason and more, she is one of American Banker's three community bankers of the year.

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The first state inquiry into marketplace lending is seeking information from a broad mix of companies, including consumer lenders, small-business lenders, and firms that are not primarily in the lending business.

Salisbury Bancorp. in Lakeville, Conn., has issued $10 million in subordinated debt and plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings in Dallas plans to open a servicing center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

First United Bancorp in Madisonville, Ky., has agreed to buy Town & Country Financial in Beaver Dam, Ky.

Dealing with late and missed payments from creditors is a chronic complaint of small businesses. A U.K.-based startup aims to attack the problem with YayPay, an automated invoicing platform with a bill-collections feature that launched this week in the U.S.

As the digital era continues to force banks to rethink what and who they are, institutions are increasingly pressured to relay their brand messages to consumers through newer mediums and in emotional ways rather than hard sales pitches.

Community bank executives are wary about the year ahead. Cybersecurity threats, the real possibility of even tighter margins after the Federal Reserve acts, and compliance woes are among their concerns.

Foreclosure filings - default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions - were reported on 104,111 U.S. properties in November, a nearly 10% drop from the previous month and down more than 7% from a year ago.

Webster Financial has agreed to take over the leases of 14 Citigroup branches in the Boston area, which would more than triple its retail presence there.

California officials have opened a broad inquiry into the marketplace lending business, seeking data from industry participants that will be used to assess the effectiveness of the state's current regulatory regime.

TransUnion has acquired Trustev, an e-commerce ID and fraud protection startup based in Ireland, in a $44 million deal - including $21 million initially and $23 million more contingent on meeting certain targets.

Anchor Bancorp in Lacey, Wash., has named an accountant to its board, to settle a dispute with an activist investor.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

U.S. Bancorp has plucked longtime lending executive Tom Wind from EverBank Financial to run its mortgage business.

Think your gingerbread house is impressive? Chances are it's got nothing on the gingerbread bank erected by PNC Financial Services Group.

The Dec. 2 mass shooting has shone a light on the sector's vulnerability to borrowers who, exploiting the absence of face-to-face contact on the Internet, lie on their loan applications.

Even though Walmart has been a key member and driving force behind the Merchant Customer Exchange joint venture to establish a new mobile wallet, the retailer's addition of Walmart Pay to its mobile app is consistent with strategy, and will lead to a wave of individual bank and retailer initiatives.

Industry groups representing a range of companies in retail, technology, financial services and utilities filed eight amicus briefs last week in a D.C. Circuit Court supporting challenges to the FCC's landmark ruling that expanded the agency’s rules under the TCPA.