Any approval of the proposed Capital One-Discover merger must come with a pro-competitive 1% interchange fee condition to benefit consumers and small businesses and challenge the dominating duopolist Visa, and a pro-community 5% deposit reinvestment condition.

First Busey closes acquisition of Merchants and Manufacturers Bank; Stax co-founders launch a new credit-scoring tool; UMB's marketing chief takes on consumer banking; and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

Based on the pace of deals through late March, the banking industry is on track for the most branch sales since 2021. Buyer interest has mounted alongside the need to acquire deposits, following hits to funding bases last year.

The first major hurdle arises for lenders that approach $100 billion in assets. That's when they have to deal with a key regulatory threshold, becoming so-called Category IV banks, which are subject to stiffer capital rules and oversight.

The federal agency's director said Wednesday that regulators were working to refocus bank merger evaluations on community impact.

The $171 billion-asset Navy Federal Credit Union began operating roughly 60 locations and more than 270 ATMs as part of the Overseas Military Banking Program this month. The contract was awarded in September of last year, but faced federal deposit insurance challenges and industry pushback from credit unions and banks alike.

Finding board directors who understand the pace of change is a tall order. But banks of all sizes can find innovation-minded board directors by mining other industries and investing in annual training.

Peter Doelger, 86, and his wife, Yoon's losses are testing whether Wall Street firms can be held responsible for what happens if clients lose the ability to understand their investments.

Dmuchowski worked three jobs to pay for her college education. She tells young colleagues that regardless of their backgrounds, if they work hard, they will succeed.

Banking regulators and the Department of Justice must decide whether the blockbuster deal raises antitrust concerns. Looming over their analyses are questions about how broadly or narrowly to define the relevant markets.