Community Financial in Syracuse has agreed to purchase a small bank that's built its business model around end-of-life planning.

The Federal Reserve announced it had approved the merger, marking the final regulatory hurdle the banks needed to clear. But a lawsuit seeking to stop the deal is still ongoing.

The Minneapolis-based bank has collaborated with BTIG since 2014. The investment bank's leadership team will join U.S. Bancorp following the deal's expected completion in the second quarter.

The $24.3 billion acquisition and $13.5 billion divestiture deal enables Global Payments to focus more on its core payments technology.

Coastal Financial in Washington State has acquired GreenFi, one of its fintech partners. The move is designed to buy time in order to figure out the best long-term strategy for the struggling neobank.

Banks will start reporting their fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday. But it's what bankers say about the next 12 months that will probably attract the most interest from industry observers.

San Diego County Credit Union and California Coast Credit Union, which last year announced plans to merge, are now duking it out in court. SDCCU alleges there are widespread compliance problems at Cal Coast, which Cal Coast denies.

Prosperity Bancshares is fast-tracking bank acquisitions; PNC closed its acquisition of FirstBank Holding Company; BrightBridge Credit Union finalized its merger with Arrha Credit Union; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The Kansas City, Missouri-based bank completed its first bank acquisition in 12 years on New Year's Day. Now it's focused on retaining and growing FineMark Holdings' high-net-worth clients in markets such as Southwest Florida, South Carolina and Arizona.

The deal still faces a lawsuit from activist investor HoldCo Asset Management, which contends that Comerica didn't properly shop itself before agreeing to sell to Fifth Third.

First Federal Bank stretched its retail mortgage operations into Louisiana and Mississippi, following its expansion into the Midwest and Arizona in 2023.

Bank investors are typically wary of mergers of equals. Kevin Blair, CEO of the newly combined Synovus and Pinnacle, maintains that this deal is different, but also acknowledges that it's now time to prove it.

Bank First in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, has completed its acquisition of Centre 1 Bancorp in Beloit; Citi plans to shed its remaining Russian operations; Heritage Financial in Olympia, Washington, has received regulatory approvals to acquire Olympic Bancorp; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The merger of equals, which received a chilly reception from investors when it was announced in July, closed faster than analysts had expected.

Fintechs sought to acquire the rights and privileges of bank charters in various ways this year, from de novo applications to buying up banks.

New Jersey-based OceanFirst Financial slid in its planned $579 million acquisition of Flushing Financial just before the end of the year. The private equity firm Warburg Pincus is also participating in the transaction.

Credit unions hit new highs in membership, deposits and loans in 2025. But it was also a chaotic year for the industry's governing body, and the sector faced renewed attacks by banks.

Bank merger and acquisition activity rebounded this year, led by Fifth Third's $10.9 billion proposed purchase of Comerica. Huntington, PNC and Columbia were involved in some of the other biggest deals announced in 2025.

The Treasury Department issued guidance on how merchants can round cash transactions to the nearest nickel. Banks and retailers have been calling for more clarity from the government amid a penny shortage that stems from the Trump administration's abrupt decision to halt production of the one-cent coins.

ServiceNow, with its largest-yet M&A deal, will fold Armis' threat prevention services into its larger cybersecurity suite.