Dr. Mark Calabria takes on the additional role of chief statistician of the United States; retired Ally Bank executive Diane Morais has joined First Citizens Bancshares' board of directors; MainStreet Bank has promoted Alex Vari to chief financial officer; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The buyer said its $70 million cash-and-stock deal for Farmers State Bank will boost its presence in the northeast section of Ohio, and provide plenty of low-cost deposits

Steep trade barriers that were set to go into effect on July 9 have once again been put on pause, giving banks a welcome reprieve, but adding still more pressure and uncertainty on the Federal Reserve and the broader economy.

Business First Bancshares CEO Jude Melville and Progressive Bancorp head George Cummings are both second-generation bank CEOs — common ground that helped propel an $83 million merger deal.

The parent company of Wayne Bank said it would buy PB Bankshares for $54.9 million in cash and stock.

Baton Rouge-based Business First Bancshares would pad its margin as Louisiana's largest state-chartered bank with an all-stock deal for Progressive Bancorp.

Rocket Mortgage's acquisition of Redfin has been mischaracterized as harming competition in the mortgage lending space. The truth is that it could be a major boon for mortgage borrowers.

Atlanta-based CoastalSouth's initial public offering prices at $21.50 a share; Valley National Bancorp announces Lyndsey Sloan will succeed Gary Michael as general counsel; Webster Financial Corporation taps a new chief risk officer and appoints a new board member; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Capital One closed the deal to buy the credit card provider in May and as part of the review process, decided to exit its home equity lending business.

In a rare move for a credit union, the Seattle institution has snapped up the 13-member team that created EarnUp's AI Advisor product.

Baton Rouge-based Investar Holding Corp. has agreed to pay $84 million for Wichita Falls Bancshares, which operates five branches in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The all-cash transaction will make the enlarged company the U.K.'s third-largest lender by some measures.

Kevin Fromer, who has headed the Financial Services Forum since 2017, announced his departure Monday. Fromer transformed the Financial Services Forum to advance the interests of the largest U.S. banks.

Megadeal activity picked up in June.

Richmond, Virginia-based Atlantic Union Bankshares has sold $2 billion in performing commercial real estate loans to Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies. 

Truist Financial is bulking up its commercial and corporate banking arm by hiring senior executives from rival firms and promoting from within; F.N.B. Corp launches a $46 million-dollar community development program focused on Main Street revitalization; buy now/pay later lender Affirm extends its partnership with Moore Capital through May 2027; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Lenders have been an underdog in the broader market's rally. Now, with stress-test results and the easing of bank capital rules on the horizon, there's a chance for bank stocks to break out.

The prolific purchaser is entering the state in a bid to expand its Southwest presence.

Cincinnati-based First Financial scooped up Westfield Bank near Cleveland after Westfield's parent company decided to exit the bank space and focus on its core insurance business.

The Cincinnati bank aims to grow in northeast Ohio with the acquisition of Westfield. The deal is expected to boost First Financial to a $20.6 billion institution.