Representatives of the first nonbranch team at the bank to unionize alleged in a charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board that actions to stymie collective bargaining constitute unfair labor practices.

Titi Cole, a former executive at Citigroup, is now on the company's board of directors; Citizens Financial Group has formed a trust subsidiary as part of its wealth management and private bank expansion efforts; shareholders of Atlantic Union Bankshares and Sandy Spring Bancorp approved the two companies' planned merger; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Banks are expecting increased M&A activity across the financial sector, but are concerned about acquisition by credit unions and tech integration challenges.

Cincinnati-based processor has agreed to buy a London technology firm that uses artificial intelligence to build advanced models to manage fraud risk.

Just days after UMB Financial completed its acquisition of Heartland Financial, CEO Mariner Kemper spoke about how the deal came together and the combined bank's future.

A letter from three law firms retained by Coinbase argued that existing federal laws and regulations already authorize banks to provide cryptocurrency services and to engage with third-party service providers like Coinbase.

Donald Trump's second administration is widely expected to be far less skeptical of bank mergers than the Biden administration has been, but industry experts say that political opposition to big bank mergers and business considerations will still be roadblocks.

Christiana Riley, regional head of Banco Santander's North America region, has succeeded Tim Wennes as CEO of Santander U.S.

Jon Weiss, Wells Fargo's co-CEO of corporate and investment banking resigned from his position with plans to retire; A new CFPB report says military service members paid more for auto loans and add-on products; City National Bank's Kelly Coffee is leaving the bank after her 2023 demotion; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The big payday comes after a year in which the bank made progress toward the removal of a federally imposed asset cap.