Paulding County, northwest of Atlanta, is Georgia's second-fastest growing county, but after years of consolidation just one community bank has a branch there.

Beach Cities Commercial Bank is set to open in Southern California next week. Rising interest rates and consolidation in recent decades have created more opportunities for investors to form new banks, experts said.

Bankers and a key government supervisor say the downfalls of multiple regional lenders reminded regulators that traditional M&A is better for the industry than failed-bank-deals.

Nusenda's agreement to buy Western Heritage Bank would be its first bank acquisition and the first such combination in the state.

The parent of the $1.1 billion-asset CBI Bank & Trust said it would buy McLaughlin Holding and its SENB Bank unit.

Cogent Bank in Orlando says it took two branches in the Southwestern part of the state less than three years to amass $400 million of deposits.

An activist investor blasted the appointment of Andrew Cohen, saying he has long served on the Philadelphia bank's board and shares responsibility for its financial troubles.

In May's roundup of American Banker's favorite stories: Washington state plans to provide mortgage assistance to help address historical discrimination, an insider look at how Comerica is faring with the Treasury's Direct Express program, the fall of First Republic Bank and more.

Nearly two out of three finance chiefs surveyed by Piper Sandler said they were most worried about deposit costs in the aftermath of recent bank closures. Only 7% cited credit quality as their top reason for unease.

Led by Chairman Marshall Reynolds, the entire board of directors participated in a private placement that raised $10 million for the Hammond, Louisiana, company.