Financial institutions

Just a handful of de novo banks opened in 2025. But there are signs of renewed activity, with eight banks currently actively in formation and more than 10 charter applications on file with the FDIC.

Last year highlighted the risks for banks in lending to nondepository financial institutions. A new approach by Trump-era regulators could change the playing field.

The Birmingham-based lender is opening its first branch in Houston, following a wave of banks rushing into the Lone Star State as its economy continues to boom.

A new report from the Basel, Switzerland-based Financial Stability Board found that nonbank financial institutions grew considerably faster than banks in 2024 and now control more than half of the world's financial assets.

The payments company submitted applications to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to create PayPal Bank. If approved, Mara McNeill, the former president and CEO of Toyota Financial Savings Bank, will serve as PayPal Bank's president.

A bipartisan housing provision has emerged as a critical negotiating point for passage of an uncommonly bank-relevant defense authorization bill.

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said in an exclusive interview with American Banker Monday that regulators must bring more new entrants into the banking industry, establish a level playing field between banks and fintechs, and shore up supervision amid mounting legal scrutiny.

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran reiterated his view that monetary policy has become more restrictive than economists think, but expressed increased urgency that the central bank take strong corrective action.

The $22.7 billion-asset company may be interested in buying certain banks that HoldCo Asset Management presses to sell in the future, Chairman and CEO John Allison said. Home is planning to announce its next acquisition in December.

The 170-year-old Salem Five Cent Savings Bank has hired one private banker and could scale the business further if its performance matches management's expectations.

The West Reading-based bank has opened three offices in California and two in Nevada, continuing its strategy of establishing a presence in high-growth markets around the country, CEO Sam Sidhu said.

Analysts say the fintech must "grow like a fintech, but be profitable like a bank" as its capital base shrinks to its lowest level to date.

Michael Barr said he believes artificial intelligence will have a positive long-term impact on the economy, though it may cause job losses in the short term.

TradFi companies are making strategic investments in infrastructure to support the growth of tokenized assets

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said Tuesday that chartering compliant fintechs is "the only way" to level the playing field between banks and nonbanks. His comments come as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency weighs new trust charters and stablecoin rules.

Financial literacy advocate John Hope Bryant has joined with a Los Angeles-based developer in an effort to raise up to $300 million from banks to preserve and construct low-income housing around the country.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is rescinding two rules issued under former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra that required nonbanks to register court orders, plus terms and conditions of contracts.

In an environment of persistent economic unease, banks have a unique opportunity to help small businesses, Sekou Kaalund, U.S. Bank's head of branch and small business banking, said at American Banker's 2025 Small Business Banking conference.

The Arkansas-based company spent nearly four years on the M&A sidelines, grappling with asset quality issues and litigation tied to its 2022 acquisition of Texas-based Happy State Bank. Now it's signed a letter of intent to buy an unnamed bank.