Six weeks after receiving a $237.5 million investment from the Treasury Department, the community development financial institution has struck a deal for Premier Bank of Arkansas.

When big banks trim their branch networks, community banks operating in the same markets see a chance to pounce.

James Blake plans to retire in May, culminating a 25-year run at the helm. Joseph Casey, the bank's president, was named his successor.

The Massachusetts bank is purchasing a fellow Bay State institution's pot banking operation and says one of its first steps will be encouraging dispensaries to accept credit and debit cards.

After regulators signaled their intention to crack down on banks that lean on the controversial charges, First National Bank Texas adopted a reform. A bank spokesperson said the move was unrelated to any pressure from Washington.

The new service was designed to lower costs for community banks while adding security features and providing customers with access to Venmo and other peer-to-peer payment systems.

The Irvine, California, bank has been beset by compliance woes since early 2021, when state regulators issued an order requiring it to bolster its capital and reduce the concentration of its commercial real estate footprint.

The economic and political conditions are in place for bank-credit union mergers to blow past last year's total of 13 despite the banking industry's strong opposition to them.

A group of community banks and two major trade associations have formed a partnership with and invested in the fintech NYDIG to offer the service on the banks’ mobile apps by midyear. The banks say it will help them generate revenue and retain customers interested in cryptocurrency.

It has also taken a stake in Rêv Worldwide, developer of the bank's cross-border traveler account that supports currencies including the U.S. dollar, the euro and the Mexican peso.