John Reosti

Key insight: Keweenaw Financial's planned acquisition of Range Financial will give it a leading position in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Key insight: Expanding its food and agribusiness segment is boosting Five Star Bank's balance sheet and strengthening its risk profile, according to an analyst who covers the company.

Key insight : The Independent Community Bankers of America and America's Credit Unions asked the Department of Agriculture to make several procedural changes to its process for removing institutions from a loan guarantee program.

Key takeaway: Little more than a year ago, Patriot National Bancorp was on the brink of failure. Now it's aggressively expanding its private-banking strategy.

Key insight: The organizers of a Utah de novo bank, Bank of St. George, say the regulatory approval process has been smooth.

Key takeaway: Buying Arc will give Axos access to thousands of early-stage and mid-market tech firms, as well as valuable AI technology the bank can use to sharpen its small business-product set.

| Key takeaway: For the third time in a little over five years, Business First has acquired a nonbank firm that serves other community banks.

Key insight: Though FirstSun Capital characterized a $22 million fraud-related loss as "isolated," another lender said fraud is becoming an increasingly serious problem.

Key takeaway: Acquiring TriCounties Bank's parent company would give First Hawaiian its first presence on the U.S. mainland in a decade.

Key insight: Strong credit-quality trends are expected to continue in the second half of the year, according to Wells Fargo Chief Financial Officer Mike Santomassimo.