Berkshire Hills Bancorp in Pittsfield, Mass., has agreed to buy the assets and certain liabilities of a wealth management firm in Vermont.

Salem Five Bancorp has agreed to buy Georgetown Bancorp in a deal that will combine two Massachusetts banks.

Banks must work to attract a diverse workforce through recruiting efforts, and to close the retention gap that sees institutions lose a higher percentage of women leaders compared to those who are men.

The 1.35% delinquency rate was the lowest since at least 2001, and it marked nearly four years of delinquencies below the 15-year average of 2.21%.

Community bankers say that reclassifying "reciprocal deposits" as a less risky type of deposit will help them to compete with large banks. Some deposit brokers are crying foul, arguing that the proposed legislation would put them at a competitive disadvantage. Observers, meanwhile, say the bill is so narrowly written that it would hardly affect competition.

The $20 billion-asset Iberiabank said in a press release Wednesday that it invested $1.5 million for a less than 5% stake in Liberty Financial Services in New Orleans.

Umpqua Holdings in Portland, Ore., has formed a corporate lending office and hired Richard Cabrera to oversee it.

First Bancorp in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has added a managing director from a New York private equity firm to its board.

Xenith Bankshares in Richmond, Va., had added a former chief executive of Amalgamated Bank to its board.

Popular Inc. in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will take a $55 million hit to third-quarter earnings after its bank lost an arbitration battle with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Dollar Bank in Pittsburgh ended a 32-year break from acquisitions earlier this year. It didn’t take nearly that long for the $7.4 billion-asset mutual to announce its next deal.

First Community Bancshares in Bluefield, Va., has sold four insurance offices.

First Business Financial Services in Madison, Wis., is looking for a new leader for its bank.

The state of Washington halts a plan to update its 15-year-old member business loan rule while the federal regulation undergoes a legal challenge from the Independent Community Bankers of America.

There were bound to be growing pains in the friendship between banks and fintech. Bankers plugged into the world of innovation give their advice on overcoming the challenges.

First Foundation in Irvine, Calif., has agreed to buy a pair of branches from Pacific Western Bank in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Medallion Bank in New York has sold its asset-based lending division to an unnamed buyer.

Mission Asset Fund has helped people build their credit by formalizing the informality of lending circles. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently named Mission's CEO José A. Quiñonez one of its 2016 Fellows.

Male bankers are often unaware of how they benefit from a level of privilege that limits the advancement and contributions of their female colleagues, to the detriment of the entire industry.

Standard Chartered in London has hired a key executive from Independent Bank Group in McKinney, Texas, to oversee its U.S. operations.