Two Illinois community banks agree to merge in $170M deal
The parent company of Heartland Bank and Trust plans to acquire a smaller bank based in Carlinville, Illinois. The acquisition would give the buyer added heft in Central Illinois, as well as the Chicago and St. Louis metro areas.
Banks urge Trump admin to restore CDFI Fund staff, funding
Six trade groups warned the administration layoffs and funding freezes could dampen lending, threatening the administration’s goal of economic growth.
Eastern in Mass. should sell itself: Activist investor
The Boston-based bank is the second bank in three months to face pressure to sell by the activist investor group HoldCo Asset Management.
Gould focuses on OCC role in debanking fracas
Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said in an interview with American Banker that his agency is looking at whether its own internal guidance may have contributed to a climate where banks feel the need to “cite everything” to avoid supervisory penalties.
Credit union-powered digital bank sponsors college sports
AlumniFi, the digital banking arm of Michigan State University’s official credit union, is now an official bank partner for the NCAA’s Big East conference.
Navy Federal, Truist, Chime among victims of AWS outage
A failure at an Amazon Web Services data center in Virginia caused widespread outages, hitting services at several banks and fintechs.
Executive at neighboring NYC bank bets on Carver turnaround
Spring Bank CEO Barry Mann has accumulated a 6% stake in New York City-based Carver Bancorp, Carver has a history of underperforming, but Mann is optimistic about its chances under new CEO Donald Felix.
How Connecticut became a battleground for earned wage access
The number of states with earned wage access legislation doubled in 2025 with six states passing new laws. Connecticut regulators have been particularly strict, creating conflict between lenders and the government.
NCUA moves to strip reputational risk from examinations
Following the lead of banking regulators, the National Credit Union Administration has proposed a rule that would eliminate references to reputational risk from its examination manuals and would forbid debanking based on political views.
Banks need a formal process to appeal adverse regulatory actions
Real due process in bank supervision is not merely administrative housekeeping — it is fundamental to the credibility, fairness and effectiveness of the regulatory system.