Banking

Standard Financial Corp. in Monroeville, Pa., has agreed to buy Allegheny Valley Bancorp in Pittsburgh for $56.5 million.

A longtime advocate for African-American-owned financial institutions argues that regulators should be taking more forceful action to keep them alive.

Banks and regulators both deserve credit for how they have navigated the post-crisis period, but how regulators continue to implement rules — and how banks continue to deal with this environment — will determine if this is a turning point for finance or the prelude to another round of pain.

Banks need more specific guidance that clarifies requirements around vendor contracts, risk assessments, data management and other issues.

Symbiont, a developer of software for self-executing smart contracts, has hired Wall Street veteran Caitlin Long as president and chairman.

CapStar Financial Holdings in Nashville, Tenn., whose board includes a top Credit Suisse executive, has filed plans to raise up to $46 million in an initial public offering.

Former Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Co. Chairman and Chief Executive William Lacy Jr. died Sunday from respiratory failure. He was 71.

It's long been assumed that technology will help the financially underserved access the banking services they need. Christine Duhaime, an attorney and founder of the Digital Financial Institute, a financial technology think-tank, says this assumption is wrong, and that some tech advances are already starting to have unanticipated adverse effects on the financially disadvantaged. Banks will have to think creatively — by teaching people to code and maybe even making house calls — to ensure they provide fair access to services.

Park Sterling in Charlotte, N.C., has negotiated an early termination of loss-share agreements with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for about $15.5 million in assets.

Loyalty programs are likely the underpinning of the adoption of mobile payments, so banks need to make sure reward points are part of their digital offerings.

First NBC’s annual report disclosed a full-year loss, lower capital levels and a spike in nonperforming loans, leaving outsiders to ponder how long it will take for the company to get back on track.

Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. in New York has raised $34.4 million through a stock offering.

Employees are the heart and soul of any company. When they are engaged, they behave in ways that have a tremendous positive impact. Companies that want to tap into that power should foster these three attitudes in their employee ranks.

The era of banks and fintech companies cozying up to each other is in full bloom. Fintechs realize they can better disrupt the industry from within, while banks are looking for partners to help them navigate the digital world. Here's a look at how banks worldwide are buying, investing in and in some cases lending to fintech firms.

Millennials came of age in the wake of the Great Recession and have developed a hardened skepticism about banks. For banks to attract them as employees, it's going take more than a promise of work-life balance.

Familiar names — and more than a dozen newbies — can be found in our annual ranking of the nation’s most employee-friendly banks. Find out who earned a spot on the list and why these 60 banks are so successful at keeping their employees happy and engaged.