American Bank of Oklahoma agreed to a consent order in August to settle allegations from the Department of Justice over redlining. However, the institution strenuously objected to references to the Tulsa Race Massacre in the agreement and asked that the language be stricken.

Billy Beale joined the small Virginia bank in May, several months after its fintech partnership strategy landed it in hot water with regulators. "There's still a lot of just blocking and tackling that we've got to do to get the bank to work the way it's supposed to," he says.

The San Antonio-based lender is introducing new products targeted at borrowers who make less than 80% of their county's median income. The loans, which will qualify for Community Reinvestment Act credit, could help expand access to the state's increasingly expensive housing market.

Central Valley Community Bancorp's agreement to buy Community West Bancshares, slated to close in the second quarter, would create a $3.6 billion-asset bank in the Greater Sacramento region.

Blue Ridge Bank in Virginia changed course after its rapid growth in the fintech partnership business landed it in hot water. But the path back to a traditional community banking model is also proving to be bumpy.

Other banks likely will follow the lead of the Richmond, Virginia, company and tap the equity in their branch networks as alternative sources of capital grow more costly, experts say.

Lenders at an American Bankers Association conference this week railed against proposed regulatory requirements they argue could drive up costs, curb credit availability and ultimately hurt borrowers in already fragile economic times.

During a speech at a community banking research conference, the Federal Reserve Board governor emphasized the importance of an "evidence-based approach" to regulatory policy.

Activist investor Abbott Cooper, who has been locked in a battle with management at AmeriServ Financial for more than a year, plans to nominate former Amalgamated Financial head Keith Mestrich in a bid to end the impasse.

The $23 million deal, signed in 2021 and initially projected to close in the second quarter of 2022, was delayed multiple times amid leadership turnover at the Los Angeles-based RBB.