The small Pennsylvania regional signed up four cryptocurrency services companies as customers this week. CEO Sam Sidhu says the bank's new platform is helping it win business in this highly specialized market.

Amid a spate of deals in 2021, community banks are actively recruiting from merging rivals that are focused on closing and integrating acquisitions.

The Cooperative Bank in Massachusetts is working with the tech startup Carefull to monitor accounts for signs that older clients are being swindled by scammers — including people close to them.

The Indiana-based online banking pioneer is purchasing First Century, a similarly tech-savvy company, for $80 million. The deal would diversify its revenue and improve its prepaid card offerings for small businesses.

The $47.6 million deal would help MidWestOne, which has been opening offices in other parts of the U.S., to expand closer to home in Iowa.

Fifty-three percent of community bank executives who participated in a recent survey said they’d spurn a takeover offer by a credit union, even if it was the highest bid. The findings underscore the rivalry between the two sectors at a time of rising consolidation.

The community lender, which emphasizes an environmental, social and governance mission, plans to beat the Paris Climate Agreement's timeline by five years.

Lending momentum is building and tourists have come back, but the coronavirus is a lingering concern for a state that relies heavily on vacationers.

Community banks don’t need to match the biggest banks’ digital offerings or advertising budgets. Where they can compete, and win, is by delivering more personalized service.

These venture capital firms are investing in young companies that could help small financial institutions meet their growing technology needs.

Businesses trying to meet a surge in demand for consumer goods are knocking on community banks' doors to finance expansions.

Building on four years of rapid growth in Dallas, Business First expects the acquisition to help it grow into a regional bank.

The Indiana company told investors that it’s ready to complete its combination with First Midwest Bancorp but that it’s unclear whether a recently filed mortgage discrimination lawsuit will get in the way of Fed approval.

New enlistees typically lack credit histories, so the $1.2 billion-asset lender is using other transaction data to underwrite loans. It's a common practice among large banks and fintechs but rare for a community bank.

Year to date through June 30, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

The lender will take a $21.6 million charge related to damage a customer sustained from Hurricane Ida, leading analysts to predict a major drag on earnings. So far, there is little indication that other banks have been similarly affected.

It took prodding from Husic, Centric's CEO, to convince the bank's lenders to offer Paycheck Protection Program loans to noncustomers. More than 1,200 of those borrowers are now Centric customers.

A leading voice for community banks, Stewart is a past chair of the American Bankers Association and serves on the board of the Seattle branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

The president and CEO of the $350 million-asset Citizens is redefining the role of a community banker.

As part of American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance program, we have selected five "Top Teams" for 2021. Centric Financial is one of the team honorees.