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.

SpringFour, which partners with banks and lenders to deliver financial resources to their end users, will join the C&R Software umbrella, where it hopes to expand into other markets beyond financial services.

The combined bank would have $150 million in assets, and would offer better service and more convenience, according to Pulaski Savings Bank and Mutual Federal Bank.

The company's software helps financial institutions convert PDFs into portable financial data formats, and scans PDFs for signs of fraud.

Bridgewater Bancshares agreed to acquire First Minnetonka Bancorp. in an all-cash transaction slated to close in the fourth quarter. It would create a nearly $5 billion-asset bank.

The top executive at Royal Bank of Canada expressed reluctance about expanding south of the border again, citing what he characterized as a changing regulatory landscape and pointing to lessons learned from the 2015 acquisition of City National Bank.

Challenger bank OakNorth plans to kick its marketing into higher gear. Its desired endgame in the U.S. is a banking charter and it's open to an acquisition to help get it there.

The $23 million cash transaction boosts Old Second's presence in its home Windy City market, while marking Muncie, Indiana-based First Merchants' exit from Illinois.

The combination, expected to close next year, would create a regional bank with $17 billion of deposits across 10 states.

The North Carolina-based bank doubled in size in 2022 and again last year, when it acquired the failed Silicon Valley Bank. It has used consistency to outperform peers.

U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union said it plans to acquire Southwest Capital Bank in a transaction slated to close next year. It would help the buyer expand its cannabis banking operation.

The planned Bay State deal comes two months after the Minneapolis-based Thrivent said it plans to merge a credit union it controls into a new industrial bank.

The overall size of the combined entity is trivial compared to industry behemoths. It is evident the benefits to consumers from the Capital One-Discover merger dramatically exceed the speculated harms that caution against it.

A Northwest credit union announced plans this week to buy a community bank, lifting the 2024 total of such deals to 13 and putting the year on track to set a record. The all-time annual high of 16 was set in 2022.

The Chicago-area bank closed the fifth-largest deal announced this year in a matter of months. It may bode well for M&A, as several big transactions have been announced in 2024.