Irvine-based CBC Bancorp's $121 million deal for Bay Community Bancorp in Oakland stands out at a time when high rates have put a damper on both the number of deals taking place and the multiples sellers are paying.

West Coast Community Bancorp agreed to acquire 1st Capital Bancorp in an all-stock deal slated to close in the fourth quarter.

Community banks are in the early days of experimenting with AI and the earlier days of writing policies to govern its usage. It's key to do both at once.

Pima Federal Credit Union in Tucson plans to buy Republic Bank of Arizona in a cash transaction slated to close in the second half of this year. It's the ninth deal in 2024 in which a whole bank would sell itself to a credit union.

UMB Financial, Fulton Financial and Provident Financial Services have recently announced capital raises in connection with M&A deals. "They're setting a precedent," one consultant said.

The utility, under financial pressure following its involvement in the 2023 fires that ravaged Maui, reportedly is considering a sale of its profitable American Savings Banking unit. An executive declined to "speculate on any strategic transactions or alternatives."

CEO Kevin Cohee is convinced WiseOne, the AI companion OneUnited Bank rolled out late last year, can help customers make better financial decisions. Cohee also wants to see his passion for personal fiscal improvement play to a wider audience, through development of a nationwide financial literacy curriculum.

The $116 million deal to acquire HMN Financial in Rochester would mark the 26th acquisition of this century for Alerus. The transaction is slated to close in the fourth quarter.

The real-life British banker behind the hit Netflix movie 'Bank of Dave' talked with American Banker about the sequel due out next year and why opening more local community banks is so important.

Community Financial Development Institutions' mission-driven lending has traditionally been a small segment of the lending market. That's beginning to change, but plugging into secondary lending markets might not be the kind of change communities need.

Executives also say funding pressures have begun to ease, though high interest rates and deposit costs remain a leading worry, according to new surveys.

Quaint Oak Bancorp sold its majority stake in an equipment lender less than two years after the partnership helped drive record profits at the Southampton-based company.

The Charleston-based company agreed to pay $267 million to acquire Piedmont Bank in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. It's United's 34th deal, but the first since 2021.

American Heritage Federal Credit Union in Philadelphia plans to acquire three branches and $105 million of deposits from Linkbancorp. The deal is part of a growing number of transactions involving credit unions buying whole banks or portions of their branch networks.

Bank stocks are up this year as interest rates have leveled off and there are hopes that pressure on lenders' profits could moderate.

As the Federal Housing Finance Agency considers revising Federal Home Loan bank membership standards, it should consider the benefits of scale that large member banks make possible.

A set of panels discussing minority depository institutions and digitization found that cost is a significant challenge to minority depository institutions, especially in the core processing space.

The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a 30-page guidebook on managing affiliate risks. The report builds on formal guidance issued last year.

In talks with OCC officials, "it became obvious that we would not gain near-term approval given their recent experience with multifamily and CRE positions," FirstSun CEO Neal Arnold says. The companies announced other revisions to their deal, too.

Banks maintain lists of consulting firms that they trust to help troubled commercial borrowers to fix their businesses. These specialists say they're getting more calls, especially in areas such as multifamily and CRE, from business owners who need help.