Carlyle Group has liquidated its remaining stake in Brand Group Holdings in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Construction loans are a big source of interest income for community banks but also carry a lot of risk. A few fintech firms say their platforms can reduce the risk and improve the lending process.

Iberiabank in Lafayette, La., is planning to raise at least $255 million from a common stock offering.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., continues to bolster its credit ranks following a surprising third-quarter loss.

Radius Bank in Boston has bought a national equipment finance business from NewStar Financial in Boston.

Unity Bancorp in Clinton, N.J., has a deal in place to sell $15 million in common stock over time.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

First Colebrook Bancorp in Colebrook, N.H., has raised $5 million to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

A PrivateBancorp investor is urging other shareholders to reject the Chicago company's proposed sale to CIBC in Toronto.

Needham Bank in Massachusetts has hired a banking veteran as its next chief executive.

Citi's Debby Hopkins is retiring at the end of this year and Fidelity's Abigail Johnson is taking over for her father as its new chairman. Beth Mooney, Morgan Cambern, Claire Calmejane, and other execs talk about the impact fintech has had in their jobs and why technology should be embraced and not feared. Meanwhile, Citi faces a suit from a former trader over its alleged "Bro's Club" practices.

The billionaire investor will soon step down from the New Jersey company's board as he prepares to become Commerce secretary. The appointment, however, shouldn't force any changes in his firm's holdings or its investment in the banking sector.

A pair of First BanCorp's biggest investors will partially liquidate holdings in the San Juan, Puerto Rico, company.

TriCo Bancshares in Chico, Calif., has hired a Wintrust Financial executive as its chief operating officer.

Horizon Bancorp in Michigan City, Ind., has restructured its balance sheet to improve its margins and financial returns.

CenterState Banks in Winter Haven, Fla., has agreed to buy Gateway Financial Holdings of Florida in Daytona Beach.

Anthony Labozzetta, CEO of Sussex Bancorp in New Jersey, isn't afraid of change. His unusual approach to banking helped Sussex emerge from the financial crisis with momentum. Now he's building a branch model that could serve as a blueprint for growth-minded banks.

You'd rather have a heart surgeon who has done a lot of bypasses than a novice, right? Perhaps the same thinking should apply to commercial lenders, according to several university researchers challenging the orthodoxy that making too many of the same kind of loans can only spell doom.

Some banks are set to get a fourth-quarter earnings boost from their MSR portfolios, thanks to a sudden spike in yields on Treasury bonds. Add to that the prospect of further rate hikes and the potential dismantling of Basel III, and more banks could be encouraged to re-enter the servicing business.

NewDominion Bank created a new slogan and marketing campaign to target younger prospects and newcomers to Charlotte, N.C. Only time will tell if the effort will succeed and help the bank survive on its own.