Strategic buyers

Professional Holding has opened an office close to Boston to make loans to aspiring CEOs — often recent business school graduates — who are looking to buy their first businesses.

Spirit of Texas Bancshares is acquiring four branches and a loan production office from Simmons First National as part of an aggressive expansion in its home state.

Howard Bancorp is planning a big push in CRE lending, first in its hometown of Baltimore and eventually in Washington.

The industry's dominant growth strategy of 2019 was a hot topic during a House Financial Services Committee hearing.

If regional banks really want to compete against behemoths and nonbank entrants they need to emphasize products over M&A.

Readers react to the FDIC's fine against a bank over a 5-year-old consent order, Regions Financial's about-face on acquisitions, HUD's promotion of a controversial CFPB official and more.

Readers react to whether the next presidential debate will discuss banking, how California's financial policies are bleeding into other blue states, suggested reforms to the Community Reinvestment Act and more.

Three years into the turnaround plan at CIT Group, Ellen Alemany continues to remake the commercial finance company she inherited into more of a traditional bank. The purchase of Mutual of Omaha Bank is another step toward that goal.

Other banks have made splashy acquisitions there, but PSB Holdings is getting ready to open a branch after making inroads in the market for three years. Its next step could be M&A.

The co-head of the bank’s securities division, 55, was once seen as a possible CEO; the institutions are gobbling up small banks at a record pace, prompting pushback from banks.