News Topic: Community banking

The Louisiana company's board has made it clear that independence is "not a God-given right" while charging new management with addressing energy loan issues, underwriting, capital and expenses. ... Read full article

Readers weigh in on the in-store branch model, how community banks hone their message, the difficulty cash-strapped consumers face in finding bank loans, and more. ... Read full article

Despite the digitization of transactions, customers still need personal bankers. But financial institutions must adapt to specialize in problem-solving instead of sales. ... Read full article

How do the top-performing banks continue to post double-digit returns, despite having the same serious profit-dampening challenges as their peers? The answer isn't exactly straightforward. ... Read full article

Want to make your bank a top performer? Spending can be a more effective strategy for success than cost cuts, if done smartly. That’s the lesson from banks with $2 billion to $10 billion of assets. ranked here by three-year average returns on equity. ... Read full article

Customers Bancorp is weighing two cash offers and other options for BankMobile after Flagship Community Bank was unable to raise the capital needed to buy the unit. ... Read full article

GrandSouth Bancorp's issues with floor-plan loans to car dealers serve as a reminder of another pitfall in auto lending besides consumer loans. ... Read full article

Financial regulators issued joint guidance on Wednesday highlighting the availability of cross-state appraiser licensing agreements. ... Read full article

The social media furor after a powerful congressman targeted a community bank exec underscores the difficulties of managing in the current partisan political climate. ... Read full article

Financial Institutions in Warsaw, N.Y., has replaced earlier plans for a typical stock sale with an at-the-market program. ... Read full article

The nonprofit Bank On certifies banks that offer deposit accounts with minimal fees. It is one of many initiatives designed to bring more consumers into mainstream banking. ... Read full article

The OCC recently gave Sterling a 'satisfactory' rating and said the New York bank had addressed some concerns by the Fed that had leaked to the public and raised questions about its pending M&A deal. ... Read full article

The bank is the second failure in Illinois so far in 2017. Seaway Bank was closed in late January. ... Read full article

The NCUA aims to give credit unions access to in-person hearings with its governing board. Such an opportunity is lacking at federal bank regulators. ... Read full article

Murphy Capital Management in Gladstone, N.J., focuses on high-net-worth individuals, businesses and nonprofits. ... Read full article

Bankers have conversations daily with clients, public officials and friends who don’t necessarily see the benefits that banking locally provides. ... Read full article

Readers weigh in on a proposal for encouraging small bank installment loans, a firm that uses AI to reduce false alarms, what security improvements are needed for sharing customer data, and more. ... Read full article

Thanks to the Federal Reserve's unwinding of post-crisis policies, the next wave of mergers will be driven in part by a drop in deposits. ... Read full article