First Sound Bank in Seattle has an agreement to buy Puget Sound Leasing Co. in Bellevue, Wash.
Puget Sound Leasing would operate as a separate division of the $161 million-asset bank.
A sale price was not disclosed but First Sound said in a news release Wednesday that Puget Sound's owners would own 16% of the bank's stock and would receive a percentage of the leasing unit's future profits for six years. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.
The Mortgage Bankers Association now predicts a Federal Reserve rate hike to arrive in 2027, as housing price growth also slows over the next two years.
The company says its mission-driven culture, family-supporting benefits and emphasis on flexibility are key factors.
An analysis of American Banker's 2026 Best Places to Work in Fintech finds that workers appreciate flexibility, as well as "meaningful" work.
The 33 companies that made it to this year's Best Places to Work in Fintech list are actively preserving remote work options and non-salary benefit packages.
Sens. Ed Markey and Ron Wyden argue that the Small Business Administration neglected to warn small firms of the risks of merchant cash advances and closed off a key "escape route" from the resulting debts.
In a move seen to bolster his 2028 presidential run, California Governor Gavin Newsom named Rohit Chopra, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to lead a new oversight agency; a Pine Bluff, Arkansas, bank employee was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for bank theft; a Fairfax, Virginia, security administrator has been charged with allegedly stealing more than $6.6 million from his employer; and more in this week's banking news roundup.
