ESL Federal Credit Union's plan to acquire Generations Bancorp marks the 16th deal this year in which a credit union plans to acquire a bank. While controversial, such transactions are swelling in number.

While other Washington regulators revise their approaches to merger reviews, the Federal Reserve has made no official change to its framework. The $35 billion merger could demonstrate just how differently the central bank is approaching the issue — if at all.

After doing "some really intensive thinking," the Buffalo-area lender said it found the partner it was looking for in the Norwich, New York-based NBT Bancorp.

Liberty Capital Bancshares in Texas agreed to acquire in-state peer Southwestern Bancorp; BNY announced it will buy managed-account software company Archer; Louisiana is supporting crypto but pushing back on CBDCs; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The Honolulu-based seller said it rejected a competing bid from an investor group and would stick with its plan to sell to Hope Bancorp for $78.6 million in stock.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s proposed rule aims to improve record keeping for custodial accounts, while the merger policy would increase regulatory scrutiny for combinations involving the largest banks.

EverBank Financial in Florida said the deal would give it $900 million of loans and $2 billion of deposits. Should the deal close in early 2025 as planned, it would end a long saga for Sterling.

Jersey-based JTC will pay $80 million for Citigroup's global fiduciary and trust administration services business.

BNY has acquired managed-account software company Archer; Old National Bancorp has removed the "interim" tag from Chief Financial Officer John Moran; Royal Bank of Canada has done the same for Chief Financial Officer Katherine Gibson; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The South Carolina-based bank considers itself a buyer, but has put the 17 months since announcing its last acquisition to good use, reassessing multiple business lines and upgrading technology.

As the toll of financial crime rises, the card network is attempting to boost its fraud-fighting game by buying threat intelligence firm Recorded Future.

The North Carolina bank lowered its medium-term target for return on tangible common equity target, reflecting the fact that the financial projections for the merger of BB&T and SunTrust Banks have not come to fruition.

The Maine-based bank's bid for Northway Financial was valued at $86.6 million. It is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2025.

The all-stock transaction is slated to close in the second quarter of 2025. It would create a bank with more than $15 billion of assets.

Profits at Cleveland-based KeyCorp have suffered due to bonds it bought when interest rates were low. But a recent investment by Canada's Scotiabank gave Key more wiggle room — an early benefit of a deal that both companies hope to build on.

After hikes pinched profits across the industry, a move in the opposite direction could be the start of a more promising trend. But bankers caution that the immediate effects of a September rate cut figure to be small.

The deal to buy the First of Long Island Corp. would create a $14 billion-asset bank with $11 billion of both loans and deposits.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said some non-profit hospitals are failing to provide assistance to low-income consumers, while landlords may be illegally charging fees to pay rent through online portals.

New Mountain Capital is combining three companies in its portfolio: the Rawlings Group, the payment-integrity business of Apixio, and a recently acquired firm called Varis. The new entity would use AI to track health plans' payments to doctors and hospitals.

REV Federal Credit Union in suburban Charleston, South Carolina, plans to acquire First Neighborhood Bank in West Virginia. It marks the 15th deal this year involving a credit union buying a bank, closing in on 2022's record of 16 deals.