Banking

Freedom Bank is rolling out Freedom@Work, which offers perks for employees of participating companies, as part of a wider strategy to attract more consumer deposits.

Marianne Lake will oversee strategic growth and the company's fast-growing overseas consumer bank. 

The STATES 2.0 Act, currently pending in Congress, would go a long way toward giving banks confidence that they can provide services to legal cannabis businesses without putting themselves in legal jeopardy.

Oxford Bank appears poised to reap benefits from a substantial investment in building out its commercial finance subsidiary. The business, which provides credit to companies that aren't a good fit for bank loans, has moved into the banking mainstream over the last 15 years.

The probability of a trade war-induced recession is unclear and fluctuates almost daily. However, the possibility is real enough that banks have a responsibility to prepare for a serious economic downturn on par with the 2008 financial crisis.

The payments fintech is partnering with credit unions such as Michigan State Federal Credit Union to offer cash-back rewards on debit transactions using account-to-account payment schemes.

The Department of Justice is seeking to terminate a Biden-era lending discrimination settlement with Lakeland Bank. Last month, the DOJ took similar action in a case involving Mississippi-based Trustmark National Bank.

Forbright Bank was reprimanded by the FDIC last year in connection with its use of brokered deposits. To address the issue, the Maryland-based lender has built out a digital banking arm.