John Cassidy will retire as CEO of Sierra Central Credit Union in Yuba City in January. Ron Sweeney, the company’s president, will take his place.

Buying Spirit of Texas would give the Arkansas company access to the Austin, San Antonio and Houston markets and make it a bigger player in the fast-growing south-central U.S.

N26 and Monzo halted or delayed expansion plans here largely because competition for customers was already intense and obtaining a banking license proved difficult.

Recruiting from competitors can be hard to pull off, and it won't create more equity in the industry. Some of the Best Banks to Work For are finding ways to develop, support and promote women who are already on the payroll.

The National Credit Union Administration backed off measures that would have let credit unions sign up members in areas where they have ATMs and online services, but no branches. The move was seen as a partial victory for banks, though the matter could ultimately be decided by Congress.

Alternative lenders, which often use aggressive underwriting tactics to generate high returns, were closing in on banks even before the pandemic. Now they've pulled ahead.