Banking

FirstSun Capital Bancorp plans to buy First Foundation in an effort to accelerate its Southern California growth. The $785 million transaction follows FirstSun's failed takeover of Seattle-based HomeStreet.

When a bank's customer dies, a patchwork of rules and regulations that vary by jurisdiction create a potential nightmare for survivors and creditors alike. The industry should converge around agreed-on best practices.

In an environment of persistent economic unease, banks have a unique opportunity to help small businesses, Sekou Kaalund, U.S. Bank's head of branch and small business banking, said at American Banker's 2025 Small Business Banking conference.

A national bank charter will help UBS Bank USA to expand offerings for wealth management clients, according a company memo.

Banks should seize the opportunity to assert themselves as a key partner for consumers when it comes to verifying their identities across multiple platforms and services.

Nicolet Bankshares has agreed to buy MidWestOne Financial in an $864 million, all-stock deal. The acquisition will move the Wisconsin-based buyer into Iowa and the Twin Cities, while also allowing it to vault past a key regulatory threshold.

Boston-based Eastern Bankshares is focused on organic growth, but it would "evaluate the opportunity" for M&A if a deal presents itself, its CEO said Friday. The comments came four days after an activist investor criticized the bank's recent M&A transactions.

Some customers reportedly complained about getting locked out of their accounts after signing up for the bank's new Strata Elite credit card. "We feel like we have done the right thing for all of our good customers," Pam Habner, Citi's head of U.S. branded cards, said Tuesday.

The Long Island-based bank hasn't been profitable in eight quarters, but executives maintain that it's on the right path, citing more loan book diversity, lower expenses and an improved margin.

The Richmond, Virginia-based bank expects to build 10 branches in Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina, over the next three years. M&A is on the back burner as the company also works to capitalize on its recent acquisition of Sandy Spring Bank in Maryland, CEO John Asbury said.

The North Carolina bank is the latest lender impacted by the bankruptcy of U.S. auto parts maker First Brands. First Citizens executives said credit was in good shape overall.

The American Bankers Association's assessment of the Biden administration's fair lending enforcement efforts makes questionable claims about a practice that remains a major problem in some U.S. communities.

The company is leveraging its bank charter and strong customer acquisition, with app logins up nearly 50% from borrowers.

The Dallas-based regional bank's return on average assets exceeded its goal of 1.1% for the first time, coming in at 1.3% for the third quarter. The bank has been in transformation mode since 2021.

U.S. regulators have reached a rock-bottom settlement deal with a former Wells executive accused of wrongdoing in the phony-accounts scandal. The OCC had sought to recover $10 million from Claudia Russ Anderson, a onetime risk executive at the bank.

Farmers National Banc Corp. in Ohio plans to acquire in-state rival Middlefield Banc Corp. in a deal that will deepen the buyer's footprint in Columbus.

An apparent increase in large-scale borrower fraud and the hot environment for bank mergers were the key themes as banks discussed their third-quarter results.

A proposal before Congress to raise the federal deposit insurance cap to $10 million for non-interest-bearing business accounts would help community banks continue recycling deposits into local lending.

The president of the planned Georgia Skyline Bank says he's cautiously optimistic that his group can raise $35 million of startup capital in time for an opening early next year.

The McClean, Virginia-based bank said Tuesday that credit quality remained strong in the third quarter, and that it has approved a plan to buy back $16 billion of common stock. It's temporarily tapping the brakes on loan growth as it digests the Discover acquisition.