Banking

The 22nd State Bank in Mobile has been developing its national Always.bank subsidiary over the past year. 22nd State, which was founded in 1917, eyeing a summertime launch for the online unit.

The largest U.S. bank by assets announced a series of leadership changes affecting its global investment banking business, including three new co-heads to oversee the segment.

American Banker's AI Talent Shift survey of 206 banking professionals ranks AI fluency first and pure software-development skills last.

The trio of community bank regulatory relief bills passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday night would ease exam intensity and frequency for smaller firms; it would also expand Treasury mentorships between community banks and larger lenders.

There are a lot of worrisome things going on out there, but the credit markets overall appear to be okay. For now. And that, really, is all that matters.

Stephen Curley, who was the chief banking officer at Phoenix-based Western Alliance, will join Maryland-based Eagle Bancorp as president and CEO in July. Eagle's current CEO previously announced plans to retire after the bank racked up big losses in office loans.

At its first-ever investor day, the Phoenix-based bank fended off questions stemming from two recently disclosed problem loans, including one that resulted in a $126 million charge-off.

The 90-day-plus delinquency rate on student loans hit 10.3% in the first quarter, and New York Fed researchers warn that a second wave of defaults could be coming. Evidence is mixed regarding the likely impact on other consumer-lending segments.

The community bank trade group says crypto firms are combining stablecoin rules, Fed master account access and trust charters to replicate banking without bank rules.

The Canadian bank signed an agreement to sell the businesses to Stonepeak, an alternative investment firm in New York. The move will free up capital and allow the bank to invest in higher growth-potential areas.

Parker Group unexpectedly ceased operating last week, then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy a few days later as sponsor banks and customers were left scrambling.

The company's new CEO, and long-time chief technology officer, shares his views on why some banks are stuck in old ways of determining creditworthiness, how Upstart has been modifying its underwriting models and the objections people sometimes have to AI-based lending.

Regulatory proposals are boosting interest for banks to grow in mortgage, but sustainability demands deliberate, rather than reactive, strategy, experts say.

Plans were moving along smoothly for a new data center in Franklin County, Missouri — until residents found out about it. Now the project is facing a fierce public backlash, and a local community bank is caught in the crossfire.

The Village Bank is already mulling expanding the concept to other locations if the one planned for its Wellesley, Mass., office lives up to expectations.

The cost of deposits has fallen but the trend may get short-circuited by a Fed that can't cut rates amid the inflationary pressures of the war in Iran.

Banks' deposit costs fell as the Fed made borrowing cheaper. But signs of increased competition are already emerging, and analysts see a tougher road ahead.

Stephan Feldgoise and Joshua Schiffrin will join Goldman Sachs' management committee; Fidelity Investments is dismissing about 800 personnel as it restructures its technology and product-delivery teams; Citi has hired JPMorgan's André Ross as its country officer and banking head for South Africa; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Bankers and tech executives at SAS' annual conference said agentic AI is still in the "terrible twos" stage and requires human supervision.

Almost 60 SBA loans originated by Community Bank & Trust — West Georgia were classified as noncurrent, according to Small Business Administration records. Last week, Community became the second U.S. bank to fail in 2026.