The planned sale will also include $70 million of loans in southern California.

The company has reapplied to buy Civic Bank more than a year after a regulatory snag forced it to put the deal on ice.

Sponsorships, scholarships and other ways credit unions are giving back to their communities.

Sterling Bancorp in New York is determined to turn Astoria Financial's largely residential operation into a commercial powerhouse. While investors are skeptical, CEO Jack Kopnisky has proven in the past that such an ambitious plan is doable.

While some community bankers and Washington advocates doubt the likelihood of achieving meaningful regulatory relief in the 115th Congress, the many measures advancing on Capitol Hill leave plenty of room for optimism.

During the past year, many have hoped for action from Washington that would alleviate regulatory burden and stem the rapid pace of consolidation. But in the current political environment, that appears increasingly unlikely.

In mid-2015, several thousand banks registered for dot-bank domains. More than two years later, only a few hundred have converted.

Outsiders gained access to customer information at Southern National Bancorp of Virginia using a malicious email. Other financial institutions, meanwhile, are implementing policies in hopes of avoiding the same fate.

The disagreement is tied to Walnut Street, an entity formed in 2014 to move certain commercial loans out of the bank. Separately, the company is facing a civil money penalty from the FDIC tied to issues with a third-party payment processor.

Readers chime in on the idea of a state-backed bank to serve the cannabis industry, data-sharing between banks and fintechs, whether community banks can just focus on tech laggards, and more.

As use of smartphone apps begins to surpass online channels at some institutions, banks are facing pressure to offer clients more robust services.

Most of Sterling Bancorp's operations are in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The company plans to use some of the $93 million it will raise to expand in New York and Seattle.

Pat Hickman, CEO of Happy State Bank, wants his institution to remain viable in the face of stifling regulation. As for selling? That'll happen over his dead body, he says.

Endeavor Bank in San Diego aims to be the third new bank to open this year. There is hope that as many as eight new institutions could open in 2018.

The company has agreed to buy CBBC Bancorp. It also raised $63 million to pay for the deal and fund future growth.

Mobile banking, oddly enough, is redefining the role of call center agents as customers handle routine tasks on their smartphones and reach out for help with bigger-picture questions.

The companies' recently launched partnership furthers the argument that the banking and fintech industries might be better served working together rather than competing.

Rather than pull up stakes and leave two low-income Mississippi towns at the mercy of payday lenders, Regions Bank donated the branches to a local credit union and kicked in another $500,000 for operating costs.

Capital Corps, led by Steven Sugarman, aims to provide financing to homeowners and small businesses that it believes are overlooked by banks. The firm features several former Banc of California executives.

The company, which recently bought Sabadell United in Miami, is pledging to make billions of dollars in mortgages and small business loans in low- and moderate-income communities.