Recent Posts
Deals•Feb 26, 2026
FS Bancorp to Acquire Pacific West Bank for $34.6M
FS Bancorp, the holding company for 1st Security Bank, announced on Thursday its acquisition of Pacific West Bank for $34.6 million in cash and stock, giving the firm its first presence in Portland. The deal, expected to close in Q3 2026, will expand the combined institution’s assets to about $3.6 billion.
American Banker
Deals•Feb 20, 2026
Citizens Financial Group to Acquire Matrix Capital Markets Group Assets
Citizens Financial Group announced it will purchase substantially all assets of Matrix Capital Markets Group, an investment bank serving downstream energy and convenience‑retail sectors. The cash‑funded transaction will be executed through Citizens’ subsidiary Citizens JMP Securities, with Matrix operating as...
American Banker
News•Feb 19, 2026
Warren Warns Fed, Treasury Against Crypto Bailout
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell demanding a written commitment that the government will not bail out the crypto industry. She cited Bitcoin’s roughly 50%...
By American Banker
News•Feb 19, 2026
Banks that Won on Deposit Growth in 2025 Got Boost From M&A
Regional banks with $10‑$100 billion in assets leveraged mergers and acquisitions to outpace the broader market in 2025, boosting core deposits by more than 8% versus the industry’s 4% average. The 27 midsize lenders that completed deals saw a collective 29%...
By American Banker
News•Feb 18, 2026
Olympics Boost Spending in Italy; UK Banks Push Visa, Mastercard Rival
U.K. banks, led by Barclays, are convening to fund a home‑grown payment network aimed at reducing reliance on Visa and Mastercard, which dominate 95% of the non‑cash market. Visa data shows the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics sparked a sharp surge...
By American Banker
News•Feb 17, 2026
NY AG Issues Alert on Crypto-Based Pig Butchering Scams
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert warning that crypto‑based pig‑butchering scams are targeting New Yorkers through romance and professional ruses. The scams involve coaches who instruct victims to lie to bank staff, making fraud detection difficult....
By American Banker
News•Feb 17, 2026
OCC Proposes New Appeal Process for Banks, Trusts
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has proposed a new appeals board that would review supervisory decisions using a de novo “fresh look” standard. The rule expands appeal rights to uninsured institutions such as national trust banks and...
By American Banker
News•Feb 16, 2026
ACH Volume Is Soaring. Here's How that Threatens Banks.
ACH network volume surged in 2025, reaching 35.2 billion payments worth $93 trillion, a 5 percent rise year‑over‑year. Person‑to‑person transfers grew 19.8 percent and business‑to‑business payments rose 9.9 percent, while check usage in B2B fell to 26 percent. Nacha has proposed lifting the same‑day ACH transaction...
By American Banker
News•Feb 13, 2026
Banks Effectively Deputized in Trump's Immigration Fight
President Trump’s Treasury Department has launched an aggressive AML campaign targeting Minnesota and U.S.–Mexico border regions, using new Geographic Targeting Orders and high‑performance data analytics to flag cartel, fraud and immigration‑related transactions. FinCEN now requires banks and money‑service businesses to...
By American Banker
News•Feb 13, 2026
Bucking a Trend, One Out-of-State Bank Will Exit North Carolina
First National Corp., a $2 billion Virginia community bank, announced it will exit North Carolina by selling its two branches and has already closed two loan production offices. The exits are slated for the second half of 2026 and are part...
By American Banker
News•Feb 13, 2026
The SBA's New Credit Restrictions Are a Disaster for Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration has announced a rule that excludes permanent‑resident (green‑card) holders from eligibility for SBA 7(a) and 504 loans. The change eliminates a primary source of affordable credit for many immigrant‑owned small businesses, especially in states with large...
By American Banker
News•Feb 13, 2026
We Need a Better System for Routing International Payments in a Crisis
A senior Consumer Reports director recounts how international relief funds for Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica were crippled by fragmented payment systems, losing roughly 10% to fees and taking weeks to clear. Despite a plethora of fintech options, P2P apps, traditional...
By American Banker