Founder Ken LaRoe says his decision to step back from daily management chores will help the Orlando, Florida-based Climate First Bancorp maintain its independence.

The reality of banking is that some customers are riskier and more labor-intensive than some banks want to tolerate. If Congress doesn't like where banks draw the line, it needs to understand what moving it will entail.

Small lenders beset by the fallout from high interest rates took losses in the fourth quarter when they unloaded underperforming securities and loans. But they are reinvesting the proceeds into higher-yielding assets.

Fairfax-based MainStreet Bancshares is pivoting to the niche business as a means to boost its Avenu banking-as-a-service platform, which has failed to hit deposit and revenue targets.

Small lenders across the country filled leadership positions, including The Peoples Savings Bank in Ohio, which promoted from within to name its first woman CEO.

Catastrophic weather events illustrate the risks and opportunities for banks.

The Rutherford-based Blue Foundry Bancorp reported an eighth consecutive quarter of red ink, but a widening margin and positive loan growth trends hint at better times ahead.

The Reno, Nevada-based buyer said it would pay $64.6 million in cash and stock for Cornerstone Community Bancorp, and it expects to close the transaction in the second half of the year.

Executives at the Wilmington Delaware-based bank are optimistic about 2025. Its results in the final three months of last year were hurt by an "isolated" incident in its 26-year-old ATM servicing business.

John Asbury, who is CEO of Atlantic Union Bankshares, said credit unions that compete head-to-head with for-profit banks should lose their tax-exempt status. He also called for bank regulation based on complexity rather than size.