Firms owned by people of color have suffered more over the last two years than those owned by whites, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve Banks. Asian American-owned firms reported the biggest increase in financial challenges.

The purchase of Farmers & Stockmens Bank would create a bigger and more experienced Small Business Administration lending team to help the Kansas bank capitalize on a predicted spike in demand motivated by inflation and the prospect of a recession.

Regulatory pressure and business exigencies have spurred foreign banks to draw down their presences in the United States in recent years. But Spanish bank Santander has been going the other way, expanding its U.S. business presence.

Young community banks are using a range of options for digital banking platforms.

Codat, a software startup that connects small businesses with financial institutions, raised $100 million in an equity funding round led by JPMorgan Chase’s growth-equity arm.

Edward Shin, the onetime CEO of Noah Bank in Pennsylvania, was found guilty of charges related to loans the bank made to businesses in which he held a stake.

Shanika Sheppard needed funding to turn her Italian ice food cart into a larger business selling Philly cheesesteaks and other comfort foods. She's one of more than 520 small-business owners who’ve received loans of $150,000 or less under the bank's Lift Local program.

Proactively checking in on your customers lets them know who is on their side.

Under the deal, participating members of the BancAlliance network will be able to buy interests in loans originated on the digital lender’s platform.

Agility Bank, which opens its doors Monday, says it is the first minority depository institution to be women-owned and women-led by design. It plans to serve small-business owners in a digital-first manner.