The bank's planned $142 million acquisition of Affinity Bancshares comes as war-related uncertainty appears to have slowed the industry's appetite for mergers.

American Banker is accepting applications for the Best Banks to Work For program. The annual ranking, which is now in its 14th year, is a showcase of banks that prioritize strong employee engagement, a positive corporate culture and plenty of employee support.

Carter Bankshares in Martinsville, Va., sold more than $200 million of loans made to companies controlled by Sen. Jim Justice and his family, closing out a once close relationship that later descended into rancor and litigation.

Like much of the United States, Tampa Bay has seen very few new bank charters in recent years. That's a void that the new Echelon Bank, which is slated to open in May, hopes to fill.

B2 Bank in Minnesota, which recently exited a regulatory action in connection with its banking-as-a-service business, announced the hires of a new CEO and two other senior executives.

Diligence Capital Management is pushing the beleaguered bank to add directors with bank turnaround experience. Eagle has been searching for a new CEO after getting battered from losses tied to its commercial real estate portfolio.

Cambridge Savings Bank has been stockpiling capital. Now its CEO says it's willing to part with a portion of that stash if the right opportunity presents itself.

Two credit unions in San Diego are locked in a bitter fight over a proposed merger; and a community bank in upstate New York fights off a corporate raider.

Lake Shore Bancorp in Western New York has reached a "standstill agreement" with the Stilwell Group, which has promised not to force a merger or sale in the next three years.

Some of the country's largest financial institutions are rolling out stablecoins. With the right strategy, community and mid-tier banks can also reap the benefits of the new payment rail.

By welcoming AI-driven vendor platforms into their banks, small and midsize institutions are introducing risks that are poorly understood and potentially interrelated. Boards of directors need to start paying attention.

The Oklahoma community bank partnered with two digital asset companies to create a cross-border form of tokenized U.S. dollar deposits.

Grand Rapids-based Independent Bank Corp. has agreed to buy HCB Bancorp for $70.2 million — the buyer's first deal since 2017.

Jurors determined that Aaron Luneke, the former chief financial officer of Bank of the Valley in Nebraska, obtained millions of dollars in loans — including from his own bank — by inflating contractor bills for a new car wash business.

The $8.2 billion-asset bank says it's nearly finished building a platform that will provide gaming operators with real-time payment capability.

Union Bank and Trust is resolving claims from a 2023 software exploit that exposed customer data to cybercriminals.

The Federal Reserve's recently published request for information on options for updating its check clearing apparatus has bankers fearing that it will opt to phase out paper checks entirely — an outcome that has community banks panicked.

Billy Beale, who was hired to clean up Virginia-based Blue Ridge Bankshares after its failed foray with fintechs, has left the $2.4 billion-asset company. His successor is Harry Golliday, who was named interim CEO.

The New York-based bank, which serves plaintiff law firms, agreed to pay $348 million for a Windy City community bank.

A New York state bill would reduce the barrier for minority-bank and community-bank participation in the state's long-standing Banking Development District program.