Americas

South State in Columbia, S.C., has promoted one of its executives to become chief executive of its bank.

An activist investor is laying the groundwork for a potential proxy battle with Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart.

Ally Financial in Detroit reached a truce with Lion Point Capital, as it agreed to appoint an independent director in consultation with the activist investor.

Fifth Third Bancorp plans to hire about 200 technology professionals this year, amid a focus on mobile and digital banking.

Lincoln Park Savings Bank in New Jersey is now Lincoln 1st Bank.

Capital Bank Financial in Charlotte, N.C., will record a first-quarter $5.5 million net loss, after it agreed to an early termination of its loss-share agreements tied to three failed banks.

A dozen banks from Arkansas to Virginia are nearing $10 billion in assets, where they will face higher compliance costs and caps on interchange fees. Mergers among those institutions could create a new class of regional bank.

KeyBank, a $93 billion-asset bank headquartered in Cleveland, announced plans Friday to direct $16.5 billion in lending toward low- and moderate-income communities over five years beginning in 2017.

Granite Bank in Colebrook, N.H., has named a Minnesota community banker as its new chief executive.

Banks change top executives all the time, but it's rare that one leaves for another venture and simultaneously gets recruited to the board of the bank he or she is leaving.