Justice Department officials have embarked on a rewrite of antitrust policy that could waive certain requirements for community bank mergers and provide fewer advantages to large, out-of-town buyers and banks in urban areas.

First Mutual Holding has agreed to buy Martinsville First Savings Bank, which will retain its charter, brand and management team.

More consumer and commercial borrowers are paying their loans, increasing the likelihood that charge-offs will be manageable for banks despite the ongoing pandemic.

At a time when many lenders are shying away from an industry hit hard by the pandemic, State Bank of Texas is going all in.

The bank said the move will provide more flexibility raising capital and more options when it comes to pursuing bank acquisitions.

Robotic process automation is normally the province of large banks, but Extraco Banks in Texas and Carter Bank in Virginia are training bots to perform repetitive, mind-numbing tasks.

Driver Management, a bank investor, alleges that First United in Maryland made false claims and improperly lobbied lawmakers to keep its nominees off the board. The bank asserts that it acted properly in response to an attempted hostile takeover.

Bankers and fintech executives want lawmakers returning to Washington to focus on streamlined forgiveness and a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses.

Only one of the 118 loans bought by the Federal Reserve through Aug. 31 was close to the $250,000 minimum in the rescue program, aimed small to midsize businesses hurt by the pandemic.

Bank of America announced how it plans to spend a third of its $1 billion commitment to address racial and economic inequities and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in communities of color.

Bartow Morgan Jr., who ran Brand Banking when it was sold to Renasant, also plans to raise $150 million to expand the seller's products and services.

On Jun. 30, 2020. Dollars in thousands.

On Jun. 30, 2020. Dollars in thousands.

Several community banks that put buybacks on hold during the pandemic’s earliest days have recently authorized new plans, signaling an easing in regulatory pressure and greater comfort with capital levels.

The New Mexico company had recently hired James Crotty, a former director at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, to serve as its co-CEO.

A New York CDFI is halfway to its $100 million fundraising goal for a fund that would put deposits in Black-owned banks and make loans to key businesses or projects. It hopes the moves will improve availability of capital and access to mainstream financial products.

Several community banks are warning Congress that their participation in the Paycheck Protection Program could cause them to cross a threshold that may lead to, among other things, supervision by the CFPB and a cap on interchange fees.

The New Jersey company will add three branches in the northern part of the state as part of the transaction.

The company also plans to shed some corporate office space by the end of this year.

The company is selling $355 million of Paycheck Protection Program credits to The Loan Source, a nonbank lender that is also buying PPP loans from three other banks.