Community banking

Fairwinds Credit Union will buy Friends Bank. It is the third time this year that the Florida bank has agreed to sell to a credit union.

Central National Bank rebranded as Stride Bank to move away from a name with overused words.

HomeStreet Bank will attempt to sell its stand-alone mortgage business and portfolio of servicing rights, a move that comes amid growing pressure from an activist investor to exit home lending and concerns about declining demand and regulatory challenges.

While proponents contend the model could help reach the underbanked, there remain many arguments against it.

Banks and credit unions are experimenting with ways to maximize margins in an environment where the yield curve is flat, depositors want them to pay up and they fear the Fed could actually cut rates.