The proposed Multi-Bank shares an address with the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., office of Multi-Bank Securities.

The company, which recently completed an audit, set aside funds to cover issues tied with a lending program it discontinued last year. The move cleared the way for Sterling to file an overdue annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Many community banks need brokered deposits to help fund loans, so policymakers must strike the right balance between promoting liquidity and guarding against reckless lending.

The industry says the 2017 cut in the corporate rate helped position lenders to support the economy when the pandemic hit. But a plan proposed by Democratic nominee Joe Biden could strain banks' capital investment and hiring, observers say.

The Small Business Administration has been covering six months of principal, interest and fees for loans that existed on Sept. 27. There are concerns the moves are masking weaknesses in lenders' 7(a) portfolios.

The flood of liquidity that accompanied the pandemic recession isn’t likely to subside anytime soon. Banks will have to employ a mix of securities buying, hedging and other balance-sheet-management tricks to prop up margins longer than initially imagined.

Low rates and intense competition might lead some banks to ease underwriting standards in 2021, when the economy may not yet have recovered.

The Georgia company will add nearly $200 million in assets as part of the acquisition.

The company said Todd Brice will retire in March. A search firm will consider internal and external candidates.

The coronavirus outbreak has taught community bankers to think on their feet and experiment. Speakers at an industry conference this week advised their peers to stay innovative to ensure they endure in a changing world.

To date, the Small Business Administration hasn’t acted on tens of thousands of applications that lenders have submitted since early August. However, it will begin doing so by early next week, an official says.

Atlantic Community Bankers Bank must improve its anti-money- laundering and Bank Secrecy Act policies and procedures.

The company joins a growing list of community banks paring back their networks.

Virginia National and Fauquier Bankshares are planning to create a $1.6 billion-asset company focused on the middle part of the state.

A survey conducted by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors found that concerns about operating conditions have led a large percentage of small banks to steer clear of acquisitions and new tech investments.

Whether it was their nimble shift to digital, or willingness to interact in new ways with customers in branches, bank employees have met head-on the business challenges posed by the outbreak.

Origin Bank is rolling out software to let customers curb or shut down account-data sharing with third-party apps. In the process, it hopes to learn a lot about client behavior and preferences that it could use in its own products.

Michael Rechin will step down at the end of this year. The Indiana company tapped CFO Mark Hardwick as its next CEO, while Michael Stewart, its chief banking officer, will become president.

The West Virginia company has an agreement to buy WinFirst Financial for $21.7 million in cash.

The American Association of Bank Directors is setting up an on-the-job training program to help banks reach a younger and more diverse group of prospective employees.