Banking

Baton Rouge-based Business First Bancshares would pad its margin as Louisiana's largest state-chartered bank with an all-stock deal for Progressive Bancorp.

The show business-themed restaurant, which benefited from a federal loan near the start of the pandemic, says it now owes millions thanks to the Miami-based bank's "fraud, negligence, and misrepresentations." A BankUnited spokesperson declined to comment.

A pair of surveys released in June indicates that small-business owners have growing confidence, while startup activity and SBA lending are demonstrating continued strength.

The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East has highlighted the complexities of successful anti-money-laundering compliance in a conflict zone. U.S. banks need to step up their game in order to stay safe.

Atlanta-based CoastalSouth's initial public offering prices at $21.50 a share; Valley National Bancorp announces Lyndsey Sloan will succeed Gary Michael as general counsel; Webster Financial Corporation taps a new chief risk officer and appoints a new board member; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

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.

While banks will likely increase near-term dividend plans, analysts and investors are more focused on the long-term outlook for capital requirements from regulators.

The Missouri bank surveyed consumers about what kind of financial management tools they use, then built its My Finance360 tool in response.

More than 5,000 rent-stabilized New York City apartments are facing a funding crunch after a federal judge denied a request to tap the income of its major lender, Flagstar Bank.

GodFather malware mimics and manipulates real financial apps on Android devices, exposing sensitive data without user suspicion.

The new trade levies are changing the way businesses import and export goods and how they finance their transactions. HSBC's Marissa Adams, Europe and Americas Regional Head of Global Trade Solutions, discusses what's next.

The insights of frontline employees can be invaluable tools for improving a bank's operations. It's up to executives to get out of the office and listen to what they have to teach them.