On Jun. 30, 2018. Dollars in thousands.

On Jun. 30, 2018. Dollars in thousands.

ABA Insurance Services, which is owned American Bankers Mutual Insurance, offers a range of services to banks, small businesses and nonprofits.

The Montana company will spend $200 million to buy Idaho Independent and Community 1st Bank.

Efficiency gains also drove results at the Kansas City, Mo., company.

The added heft will help companies like Independent Bank and Berkshire Hills better compete with the bigger banks that control much of the region’s deposits, and perhaps give them a leg up on other giants, including JPMorgan Chase, moving into the Boston market.

The Federal Reserve System is trying to be proactive in these and other high-profile areas, offering educational materials and coaching to bank execs and directors, according to supervision officials at the St. Louis and Richmond Fed banks.

The company agreed to buy Mainland Bank for nearly $20 million in stock.

First Merchants in Indiana would pass $10 billion in assets by acquiring MBT Financial in Michigan.

Big banks are expected to report that commercial lending weakened in the third quarter thanks to tax cuts, nonbank competition and seasonal factors. It raises questions about whether the second-quarter rally was an anomaly and if an overall economic slowdown is edging closer.

Bank Novo isn't a business lender (lots of firms already do that) or an account provider (it has a bank partner for that). Instead, it provides small businesses tools to track and analyze their banking activities.

The agency's 7(a) program had a small year-over-year decline, with bankers pointing to lender discipline and more borrowers qualifying for conventional loans.

On Jun. 30, 2018. Dollars in thousands.

On Jun. 30, 2018. Dollars in thousands.

American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance gala, recorded live on Oct. 4 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Union Bankshares will gain 15 branches and $2 billion in loans in northern Virginia after it buys Access National.

Speaking at an industry conference Thursday, two tech executives and a community banker said that community banks should be allowed to experiment with new products without worrying about running afoul of regulators.

The Community Bank Sentiment Index, an outgrowth of a yearly survey conducted by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, is intended to bring attention to market conditions and how they affect small banks' growth prospects.

MiCommunity Bancorp would be the first bank to open in Michigan in 10 years.

In what would be its third acquisition in a year, the company formerly known as BofI Holding is buying a firm that clears trades for independent broker-dealers.