New York State's former top regulator Adrienne A. Harris has rejoined Sullivan & Cromwell as of counsel and senior policy advisor; Founders Bank appointed Karen Grau to its board of directors; Deutsche Bank's DWS Group is opening an office in Abu Dhabi; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

There are plenty of ways that lawmakers could help community bankers. Raising federal deposit insurance limits by a factor of 40 isn't one of them.

A new study has decoded banks' television commercials, analyzing what the messaging reveals about the bank behind the advertisement. When an ad leans too hard on emotions, researchers found, viewers should beware.

Top SBA lenders are warning about the impact of a prolonged shutdown. NewtekOne skipped providing fourth-quarter guidance after its CEO said the situation was too cloudy to forecast.

In comment letters on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new rulemaking on personal financial data rights, consumers begged the agency to protect their data from misuse.

American Banker's 2025 Small Business Banking conference yielded lessons about the need for speed, simplicity and safety in small-business lending. Other key takeaways included the significance of digital payment options and the importance of continuing to process SBA loan requests during the government shutdown.

Brian McEvoy, chief retail banking officer at Webster Five in Central Massachusetts, says community banks are in a unique position to serve more small businesses. He was a speaker Tuesday at American Banker's 2025 Small Business Banking conference.

Park National Corp's $317 million, all-stock deal for First Citizens Bancshares would give the buyer a presence in markets that are expected to grow faster than its legacy Ohio footprint.

The challenger bank in the third quarter launched Cash Coach, an AI-powered customer insights engine that helps consumers optimize earned interest in deposit accounts and minimize interest charges on credit cards. SoFi plans to roll out a "more comprehensive" SoFi Coach that incorporates all areas of financial services as part of its strategy to rival banks.

When a bank's customer dies, a patchwork of rules and regulations that vary by jurisdiction create a potential nightmare for survivors and creditors alike. The industry should converge around agreed-on best practices.

Banks should seize the opportunity to assert themselves as a key partner for consumers when it comes to verifying their identities across multiple platforms and services.

Nicolet Bankshares has agreed to buy MidWestOne Financial in an $864 million, all-stock deal. The acquisition will move the Wisconsin-based buyer into Iowa and the Twin Cities, while also allowing it to vault past a key regulatory threshold.

Boston-based Eastern Bankshares is focused on organic growth, but it would "evaluate the opportunity" for M&A if a deal presents itself, its CEO said Friday. The comments came four days after an activist investor criticized the bank's recent M&A transactions.

Some customers reportedly complained about getting locked out of their accounts after signing up for the bank's new Strata Elite credit card. "We feel like we have done the right thing for all of our good customers," Pam Habner, Citi's head of U.S. branded cards, said Tuesday.

The Richmond, Virginia-based bank expects to build 10 branches in Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina, over the next three years. M&A is on the back burner as the company also works to capitalize on its recent acquisition of Sandy Spring Bank in Maryland, CEO John Asbury said.

The American Bankers Association's assessment of the Biden administration's fair lending enforcement efforts makes questionable claims about a practice that remains a major problem in some U.S. communities.

U.S. regulators have reached a rock-bottom settlement deal with a former Wells executive accused of wrongdoing in the phony-accounts scandal. The OCC had sought to recover $10 million from Claudia Russ Anderson, a onetime risk executive at the bank.

Farmers National Banc Corp. in Ohio plans to acquire in-state rival Middlefield Banc Corp. in a deal that will deepen the buyer's footprint in Columbus.

An apparent increase in large-scale borrower fraud and the hot environment for bank mergers were the key themes as banks discussed their third-quarter results.

A proposal before Congress to raise the federal deposit insurance cap to $10 million for non-interest-bearing business accounts would help community banks continue recycling deposits into local lending.