Key insight: The package includes measures that had already been considered by the committee, including a bill on brokered and custodial deposits and a number of measures aimed at relaxing oversight, particularly for community banks. What’s at stake: The package is opposed by some Democrats, who argue the bill favors large banks as well as […]
House committee passes bank deregulatory package Read More »
Oregon’s Willamette Valley Bank announced it is exiting mortgage lending, pointing to challenges facing small institutions and macroeconomic concerns behind its decision. Processing Content The community bank, based in Salem, Oregon, will formally end residential lending operations on March 31. Along with four full-service branches across the state, Willamette Valley also runs five designated home
Oregon community bank ceases mortgage operations Read More »
Key insight: New York’s Medallion Financial is counting on a newly hired home-improvement lending team to boost loan growth in 2026. Supporting data: At the one-time taxi lender, medallion loans now comprise less than 1% of total loans. Expert quote: “The last five years, we’ve made more than we have in the first 85 combined.
Medallion stresses home improvement to drive 2026 growth Read More »
Key insight: The House is poised to pass a housing affordability package with wide bipartisan margins. What’s at stake: The House bill contains a number of community bank provisions that are absent from the Senate version of the bill. Forward look: Warren’s opposition to those riders will make passage in the upper chamber more challenging,
Housing bill passes House with community bank riders Read More »
Key insight: Joe Face is retiring after 28 years as commissioner of Virginia’s Bureau of Financial Institutions, the longest tenure in the job in the state’s history. Why it matters: A commitment to strengthening the dual bank regulatory system has been a hallmark of Face’s tenure. Expert quote: Face “has been at the forefront of
Virginia’s top bank cop for 28 years leaves national legacy Read More »
Forward look: Home BancShares CEO John Allison said Mountain Commerce Bank will serve as a platform for future Tennessee expansion. Supporting data: Allison ranked Tennessee as one of the most attractive markets in the country along with Texas and Florida, where Home already has a presence. Expert quote: “Given the current regulatory environment, we would
Home ends dry spell with $150M deal for Tennessee bank Read More »
Forward look: The combined company will start with more than $28 billion of deposits, including $1.8 billion in Northern New Jersey. Supporting data: Blue Foundry Bancorp has reported more than $20 million of losses since its conversion to a stock-traded company in 2021. Expert quote: “Blue Foundry was horrible. They couldn’t make any money,” said
Fulton to acquire money-losing New Jersey bank for $243M Read More »
Key insight: Community banks may be able to benefit from the enormous buildup of AI capacity, as the cost of AI-based fraud detection falls. What’s at stake: Criminals’ use of AI-generated deepfakes to commit fraud has been growing rapidly. Expert quote: “What was once the stuff of movies is now a reality,” said Federal Reserve
Fed’s Barr warns community banks about AI fraud risks Read More »
Glen Burnie Bancorp When Mark Hanna told his banker friends that the Maryland-based community bank he leads was planning to buy a mortgage lender, they “looked at me as if I had five eyes,” he recalled this week. The underwhelming reaction came as little surprise, said Hanna, who is the president and CEO of Glen
Maryland community bank bucks trend, pins hopes on mortgages Read More »
Longtime Valley National Bancorp CEO Gerald Lipkin, who built the one-time New Jersey community bank into a regional institution with more than $23 billion of assets, passed away Wednesday at age 84. Gerald Lipkin, who spent nearly three decades as CEO of Valley National Bancorp in New Jersey, presiding over its expansion into a regional
NJ bank mourns death of longtime CEO Gerald Lipkin Read More »