Retail & Commercial

The billionaire investor will soon step down from the New Jersey company's board as he prepares to become Commerce secretary. The appointment, however, shouldn't force any changes in his firm's holdings or its investment in the banking sector.

The smallness of in-store branches used to be a liability, but with the industry's changing landscape, strategically placed "alternative branches" make more sense today.

A pair of First BanCorp's biggest investors will partially liquidate holdings in the San Juan, Puerto Rico, company.

TriCo Bancshares in Chico, Calif., has hired a Wintrust Financial executive as its chief operating officer.

The credit reporting firm TransUnion has unveiled a new partnership that is designed to provide more thorough data to investors in marketplace loans.

Horizon Bancorp in Michigan City, Ind., has restructured its balance sheet to improve its margins and financial returns.

CenterState Banks in Winter Haven, Fla., has agreed to buy Gateway Financial Holdings of Florida in Daytona Beach.

Anthony Labozzetta, CEO of Sussex Bancorp in New Jersey, isn't afraid of change. His unusual approach to banking helped Sussex emerge from the financial crisis with momentum. Now he's building a branch model that could serve as a blueprint for growth-minded banks.

You'd rather have a heart surgeon who has done a lot of bypasses than a novice, right? Perhaps the same thinking should apply to commercial lenders, according to several university researchers challenging the orthodoxy that making too many of the same kind of loans can only spell doom.

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin's plan to remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government control could mean increased competition for lenders' loans. But it could also prompt a rise in mortgage rates.