Corporate governance

SouthState Corp. plans to purchase Independent Bank Group in a $2 billion deal, marking an end to the latter bank's long run of buying companies. Chairman and CEO David Brooks pointed to a challenging interest rate environment and heightened regulatory scrutiny as reasons he decided to sell.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., is asking the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to withdraw a corporate governance guidance proposal as FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg is set to testify in Congress later this week.

The Philadelphia-based bank's parent company, Republic First Bancshares, had been roiled by a yearslong proxy battle involving activist investors groups and its former CEO.

Larger banks are responsible for a special assessment to cover the costs of the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The price tag has ballooned by $4.1 billion, and trade groups are criticizing the FDIC's process, arguing that it lacks transparency.

The Long Island-based lender has released a number of new details about its reconfiguration following a $1 billion capital injection led by two former Trump administration officials.

The turmoil at New York Community Bancorp resumed Thursday with the departure of CEO Thomas Cangemi. The embattled regional bank, which also recorded a $2.4 billion goodwill impairment charge and disclosed other new problems, saw its share price plunge.

The private student loan market is in flux after one major lender, Discover Financial Services, said it's leaving the sector. Sallie Mae is gearing up to compete for that business, much as it did when Wells Fargo pulled up stakes in 2020.

Despite a surge in quarterly expenses in the fourth quarter and a projected uptick in the first quarter, the North Carolina company is standing by its expense guidance for 2024.

Left-leaning shareholder groups are asking JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and other large asset managers to explain a recent decline in their support for certain environmental and social policies at public companies.

The Pittsburgh-based regional bank expects to save $325 million next year as it reduces its staff by 4%. Executives said the cuts are necessary because revenue has fallen amid a surge in interest rates and a decline in loan volumes.