Banking

Community banks that could reel in cheap deposits while keeping a lid on expenses were able to outperform peers in 2024.

The credit union regulator, responding to a recent executive order, has established strict new standards for prosecuting financial crimes. Regulators are now supposed to make criminal referrals only in cases where putative defendants appear to have known they were breaking the law.

Baton Rouge-based Investar Holding Corp. has agreed to pay $84 million for Wichita Falls Bancshares, which operates five branches in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The all-cash transaction will make the enlarged company the U.K.'s third-largest lender by some measures.

Congress is considering major changes to federally supported student loan programs. If lawmakers aren't careful, they could close off a vital pipeline of talent that feeds vital public systems.

Navy Federal Credit Union will not pay a $15 million fine or $80 million in restitution to service members who were illegally charged surprise overdraft fees when their accounts had sufficient funds.

The National Credit Union Administration, operating with just one board member, has liquidated two credit unions that were recently put into conservatorship. The failures are the first credit union failures since Democrats on the board were fired, leaving Republican Chair Kyle Hauptman.

Dime Community Bancshares, which has added dozens of bankers over the past two years, is now ready to consider expanding its geography.

Bank regulators should be in the business of proactively encouraging innovation in financial services, rather than taking a reactive stance that focuses on punishment.