Bankers are hopeful that several factors could strengthen profits next year, including higher loan demand and more stable funding costs as the Fed holds the line on — or even lowers — interest rates.

This year 90 banks made American Banker's 11th annual Best Banks to Work For ranking. The leaders of these institutions explain what it takes to be an employer of choice.

West Plains Bank and Trust in Missouri, No. 11 on this year's Best Banks to Work For ranking, wins high marks for constructive training, employee development, team culture — as well as excellent benefits.

The financial institutions in American Banker's Best Banks to Work For ranking are skilled in hiring new talent and ensuring those employees want to stay.

Gov. Jim Justice alleges that Carter Bancorp engineered a technical default on a multi-million lending relationship and has blocked his company's efforts to refinance with other lenders. The lawsuit extends a dispute that started after the death of the bank's founder in 2017.

The agency's insistence on churning out new requirements — even as courts question its constitutionality — is harming the very consumers it purports to help.

OFG Bancorp's CEO José Rafael Fernández has weathered tough times during Puerto Rico's economic downturn. Now he is hopeful that his bank can seize on the better times ahead.

The $7.7 billion-asset federal credit union in East Lansing announced its third deal in as many months — the planned purchase of in-market peer Gabriels Community Credit Union. And it has two bank acquisitions pending.

The deal for SimplyBank, scheduled to be completed in the second quarter, would give First Financial in Terre Haute, Indiana, additional branches in Tennessee and its first presence in Georgia.

Los Angeles-based Lendistry — in less than two years — became the largest Black-run 7(a) lender. Its CEO credits a concerted effort by the Small Business Administration to reach out to minority lenders and businesses, whose participation in the lending program is growing.

Proceeds from the sale provide the bank with "flexibility to evaluate and pursue various strategic initiatives to redeploy capital in support of our core banking business," Evans CEO David Nasca said.

A.E.A. Federal Credit Union in Yuma said it would acquire West Valley National Bank in a bid to expand into Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Many banks tapped the brakes on mergers and acquisitions this year amid economic and regulatory challenges. But executives at banks with a history of dealmaking say conditions could be right for them to return to buying mode next year.

Months prior to its failure, Citizens Bank in Sac City had entered into a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Iowa Division of Banking due to problems in its portfolio of commercial trucking loans.

The island state's biggest banks — which reported lower profits in the third quarter — say it is too soon to fully assess the economic fallout from the deadly August wildfires. The rebuilding effort could boost near-term deposit growth and long-term loan demand, they said.

A $35 million capital bump from a once-hostile investor group may have helped the Philadelphia bank avoid collapse. Still, it reported $30 million of quarterly operating losses and heavy securities risk in a recently filed call report.

Amid intense regulatory scrutiny, market volatility and economic uncertainty, 10 bank M&A deals have been scrubbed so far this year after 13 were scuttled last year. Deal activity has risen slightly lately, but the new normal is hard to gauge.

Washington Trust shares plunged after the Westerly, Rhode Island, company disclosed it booked an office deal in the third quarter, boosting the size of its portfolio while other lenders are pulling back.