Retail & Commercial

Bank of Nova Scotia and Bank of Montreal, Canada’s third- and fourth-largest lenders, got a boost last quarter as the nation’s businesses increased borrowing to meet customer demand.

Clients of neobanks have more difficulty reaching service representatives than those of direct banks. Several firms are trying to change that.

Heartland BancCorp recently added Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to its board of directors. One government watchdog group said the move raises questions about potential and perceived conflicts of interest.

Under the deal, participating members of the BancAlliance network will be able to buy interests in loans originated on the digital lender’s platform.

Acquiring the 151-year-old PCSB would give the buyer its first presence in the deposit-rich metro New York marketplace. After the $313 million deal closes, Brookline will operate two separately chartered subsidiaries in addition to its namesake bank.

The bureau’s new office of competition and innovation will promote competition, host events and seek to make it easier for consumers to switch financial providers.

Citigroup is weighing a deal to buy Deutsche Bank's Mexican bank amid plans to set up a new local unit as it exits retail operations in the country, according to people familiar with the matter.

Martin Gruenberg, the agency' acting chair, said it will be watching commercial real estate and other assets as matters of “ongoing supervisory attention.” 

Cambridge Bancorp in Massachusetts said it would acquire Northmark Bank in a transaction valued at $63 million.

As it walks away from retail here, the French bank wants to help business clients go abroad: “You have to be present.”