Americas

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart has reached an agreement with an activist investor after signs had emerged of a potential proxy battle.

JPMorgan Chase has formed an initiative to expand conference access to people with physical disabilities.

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.

TriCo Bancshares in Chico, Calif., paid a lower deposit premium for its purchase of Bank of America branches after deposit levels at those offices fell.

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

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has hired Randall Black as chief accounting officer and controller. He will start at the company on April 18, succeeding Ronald Ohsberg.

Northwest Bancshares in Warren, Pa., has agreed to buy Best Insurance Agency, an employee benefits and property and casualty insurance firm in Butler, Pa.

Central Bancshares in Muscatine, Iowa, has agreed to buy Brimfield Bank in Brimfield, Ill.

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.

ChoiceOne Financial Services in Sparta, Mich., will begin work on remodeling its bank's headquarters in May.