Retail & Commercial

The Massachusetts banker is honored for her commitment to financial education and entrepreneurship.

Large banks aren't the only financial institutions producing up-and-coming executives. Five executives on American Banker's list of Women to Watch hold key positions at banks with less than $30 billion in assets.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp in Pittsfield, Mass., has agreed to buy the assets and certain liabilities of a wealth management firm in Vermont.

Salem Five Bancorp has agreed to buy Georgetown Bancorp in a deal that will combine two Massachusetts banks.

Banks must work to attract a diverse workforce through recruiting efforts, and to close the retention gap that sees institutions lose a higher percentage of women leaders compared to those who are men.

Cross-border payments are a complex and global system, so it's no surprise that modernizing this process would require a partnership that spans multiple continents and a relatively new and experimental technology.

The 1.35% delinquency rate was the lowest since at least 2001, and it marked nearly four years of delinquencies below the 15-year average of 2.21%.

Community bankers say that reclassifying "reciprocal deposits" as a less risky type of deposit will help them to compete with large banks. Some deposit brokers are crying foul, arguing that the proposed legislation would put them at a competitive disadvantage. Observers, meanwhile, say the bill is so narrowly written that it would hardly affect competition.

The $20 billion-asset Iberiabank said in a press release Wednesday that it invested $1.5 million for a less than 5% stake in Liberty Financial Services in New Orleans.

The agency said Wednesday it has received more than 500,000 comments on the proposal — and many more may be filed in the coming days.