Banking

The companies said they are still waiting for the Federal Reserve to approve the deal, which was announced nearly a year ago and was scheduled to close by Oct. 15. The new deadline is March 1.

The company has agreed to buy Fortune Financial, which would give it a toehold in the St. Louis area.

Rohit Chopra, a liberal consumer watchdog, was approved as the agency’s director nine months after the Biden administration first announced him as the nominee.

The National Credit Union Administration issued two prohibition orders and two notices of prohibition, bringing the yearly total to 20.

Acting Director Sandra Thompson said the Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering changes to the risk-based fees that critics say have disproportionately hurt minority borrowers of low down-payment loans.

The $63 million-asset Texas Federal Credit Union in Dallas is combining with the $1.6 billion-asset Texas Trust Credit Union in nearby Arlington.

The account, which is similar to those offered by numerous other banks and credit unions, has been certified as meeting certain affordability criteria for low-income people.

The cash and stock deal, which is expected to close early next year, would nearly triple the number of branches Mississippi-based BancPlus has in the greater New Orleans area.

The dispute turns on the “discharge for value” defense, established by a 1991 New York court ruling that creditors can keep money sent to them in error if they didn’t realize the payment was a mistake.

Stifel Financial agreed to buy the fixed-income brokerage Vining Sparks and its affiliates, adding about $150 billion in annual trading volume and further bulking up its banking-advisory capabilities.

The Federal Reserve’s efforts to update supervision policy can result in institutions having the flexibility they need to compete with fintechs, according to Gov. Michelle Bowman.

In many cases, stopping fraud in the moment is costly — and any transactions a bank flags incorrectly could alienate its best customers, a Bangor Savings Bank executive said at American Banker's Card Forum.

Rather than targeting the masses, the founders of these neobanks are narrowing their focus to serve people who may benefit from specialized products and services. The latest example: Nerve, a banking app for musicians.

Traditional financial institutions face pressure to imitate fintechs that have brought many consumers into the mainstream. Yet cash must be a key part of efforts to expand access, since it's still crucial for many low-income families, the elderly, migrants and others.

Dora Financial aims to reduce racial and economic disparities in access to banking.

Kenneth Orgeron, who was appointed acting president and chief executive after the recent departure of Jim Hayes, will remain at the helm of the Maryland credit union.

Many banks are still making loans tied to the scandal-plagued benchmark despite years of preparation for its demise. The end of 2021 could prove hectic as bankers scramble to implement changes and explain them to commercial borrowers.

Failures and forced consolidation among smaller institutions could accelerate in 2022 and 2023 once the federal stimulus programs that have propped up the economy run their course, experts predict.

Mary Hines Droesch will oversee the strategy, design and management of lending and deposit products for retail and small-business customers of the bank.

The moves are part of a $30 billion pledge to advance racial equity that the megabank made following George Floyd's murder last year.