Credit unions

U.S. banks closed almost 3,000 more branches than they opened last year, but credit unions' branch count crept up in the second quarter despite consumers' heavier reliance on digital channels for account management.

Mike Swalley, the longtime president and CEO of the North Chesterfield, Virginia, credit union, will retire next year. An internal search committee has partnered with D. Hilton Associates to find a successor.

Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman said a shifting landscape has made it difficult for community banks to compete. She called for bank merger reform to make community bank M&A easier.

With the island still feeling the effects of Hurricane Maria five years earlier, organizations like the Inclusiv Network and the National Credit Union Foundation are providing support to institutions and residents starting to rebuild.

The University of Maryland program announced a 10-year partnership with SECU in Maryland, and Seton Hall University's program will partner with Affinity Federal Credit Union in New Jersey.

Vermont State Employees Credit Union is attracting new cannabis clients so rapidly that it had to press the pause button to add staff. Another New England lender, Needham Bank, is building its own pot banking business through acquisition.

Federal credit union boards would be able to dismiss a problematic customer in a streamlined process under the National Credit Union Administration's tentative plan.

The Saginaw credit union named Derrick Barber as its new president and chief executive. Barber will succeed Gerald Hutto, who will be retiring.

From avocado-toast debit cards to pumpkin spice-themed loans, financial institutions are running culinary initiatives to bring consumers to the table.

Geoff Bullock will succeed Phil Jones, who is retiring after 15 years of leading Harborstone.