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.

Foreclosure activity surged in the first quarter, underscoring the growing need for borrower support as certain federal protections expired.

The CEOs of Bank of New York Mellon and Northern Trust have had at least one discussion about a potential merger, according to a Wall Street Journal article. On Monday, a spokesperson for Northern Trust said the bank "is fully committed to remaining independent."

President Donald Trump has signed a Congressional Review Act resolution that eliminates the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Biden-era rules requiring stricter reviews of bank mergers and a time-out clock for some institutions.

New York's attorney general announces MoneyGram will pay a civil fine to settle a lawsuit over its handling of remittance payments; Swedish buy now/pay later lender Klarna is getting into the telecom business; Truist Financial has hired Charles Alston to lead its new nonprofit hospital, higher education and government banking team; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The bank's investors hope to see the small community bank in Utah transform and grow into "a minority-owned version of Ally," as board chair Ashley Bell put it.

Even as unpredictable trade policies slowed down mergers in other sectors, banks have kept inking M&A deals at the same pace, according to a new report.

Under the bank's current system, individual managers have the freedom to set their own in-office staffing rules based on their business requirements.

Commerce Bancshares agreed to pay around $585 million to acquire FineMark Holdings. It's the Missouri bank's first bank deal in 12 years.

The Federal Reserve Board banned a former relationship banker in Arkansas after he was caught stealing customer funds; Benchmark Federal Credit Union plans to merge with Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union to form a $2.1 billion-asset institution; Robin Vince, CEO of Bank of New York Mellon since 2022, has been elected chairman of the board; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Cara Petersen, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's top enforcement official, said the Trump administration has "no intention to enforce the law in any meaningful way."