Retail & Commercial

After two high-profile failures and a liquidity scare, money is on the move from collapsed and suspect banks to destinations viewed as safer havens. Some banks say they're in position to score fresh funds, new customers and talented workers.

Buoyed by higher profits and an influx of deposits from prepaid corporate debit cards, Patriot National Bancorp appears to be nearing a deal that would boost its size and expand its digital-banking capacities, Chairman Michael Carrazza says.

Depositors' trust in their banks — and banks' trust in their customers — is the cornerstone of finance. The demise of Silvergate, Silicon Valley and Signature has demonstrated how fragile that trust can be, and how difficult it will be for regulators and bankers to win it back.

Analysts are increasingly focused on rising office property vacancy rates, driven by remote-work trends and higher costs of living. They are worried that cash-strapped landlords could default on loans and cause losses in banks' CRE portfolios.

Many banks whose shares got hammered a day earlier rebounded strongly, with double-digit gains at Western Alliance Bancorp, First Republic Bank and PacWest Bancorp in midafternoon trading.

The White House and regulators have sought to ease fears about the banking system, but business depositors as well as regional bank investors remain jittery. Speculation has accelerated about potential buyers of the failed Silicon Valley and Signature banks, the health of certain other regionals and how deposit costs will change.

One day after Provident Financial Services agreed to buy Lakeland Bancorp, the latter bank reached a redlining settlement with the Department of Justice. Now there are calls for regulators who are reviewing the deal to require the same of more banks.

Community lenders do not share the problems that led to the downfall of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank — but their customers and members don't always know that.

The KBW Nasdaq Bank Index dropped 9.6% on Monday as the fallout from two bank failures prompted investors to trim their exposures. Some regional institutions saw declines of 30% or more, while the nation's largest banks had much more modest declines.

Regulators covered Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank customers' money, and will need to replenish the Deposit Insurance Fund with higher assessments. But smaller banks don't want to pay for larger banks' mistakes.