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 from our social media platforms.

First Mid-Illinois Bancshares in Mattoon plans to sell about $29.3 million in common stock in a private placement.

Home Bancorp in Lafayette, La., has agreed to buy Louisiana Bancorp in Metairie for about $75 million, or $24.25 a share, in cash. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

The yield curve has steepened in recent weeks, but bankers caution that it could take months or years for any benefits — or risks — to become apparent in financial results.

Most banks that deploy voice authentication require a specific spoken passphrase. Eastern Bank customers can have a normal conversation with call center reps; software in the background compares their voice patterns to a recorded snippet.

Millennials are individuals first and millennials second. Demographers and sociologists may like to group consumers, but when bankers market to the average instead of the individual, it's a losing strategy.

A recent report from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods identified several "challenger banks" that are poised to take market share from the industry's biggest institutions by using niche-focused business models. Here is a sample of the banks singled out by KBW's analysts.

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., has added the president of a Knoxville, Tenn., accounting firm to its board.

Home Bancshares in Conway, Ark., has agreed to buy Florida Business BancGroup in Tampa, Fla.

Members of St. James Federal Savings and Loan Association will meet Saturday to vote on whether to convert from a mutual to a stock-owned bank as a prelude to selling itself to Wells Financial. Some believe the vote could set a worrisome precedent.

First Republic Bank in San Francisco has agreed to purchase Constellation Wealth Advisors for about $115 million.

Glenn Moyer, the former banking commissioner of Pennsylvania, has joined a banking risk-management consulting firm.

Signature Bank in New York has added former Rep. Barney Frank to its board. The $29 billion-asset company said that Frank filled a seat previously held by Alfred DelBello, a former lieutenant governor of New York who died last month. This is Frank's first appointment to a bank board.

BOK Financial in Tulsa, Okla., and Webster Financial in Waterbury, Conn., each reported that its Tier 1 common equity ratio would remain above regulators' minimum guideline, as regional banks continue to disclose Dodd-Frank Act stress-test results.

American Founders Bank in Lexington, Ky., has agreed to sell itself to a real estate developer.

Whether you're in the mood to read about the checkered history of the Vatican Bank or how Bitcoin's colorful cast of characters endeavor to shape the future of money, there's a book to suit every taste in this year's recommended reading list. Here's what American Banker's readers, staff and BankThink contributors are taking to the beach this summer.

SmartFinancial in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., has hired a chief experience and strategy officer, ahead of its planned acquisition of Cornerstone Bancshares in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania in Narberth has agreed to purchase a branch in Delaware County, Pa., from First CornerStone Bank.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is set to revamp deposit insurance premiums to make them more risk-sensitive, targeting areas that caused institutions to fail during the financial crisis.

Beneficial Bancorp in Philadelphia has hired a former Susquehanna Bank executive as a consultant.