Growth

The first year of Otting's tenure as the New York lender's CEO brought substantial change, but the job isn't done. His goal: to build a powerhouse, profitable regional bank.

The proposed sale of Territorial Bancorp faced competing offers that delayed its closing by several months. But Hope ultimately won shareholder and regulatory approvals.

"I can't just go fishing in the ocean," said Grasshopper Bank CEO Michael Butler, referring to his bank's ability to gather deposits. "JPMorgan Chase is out there with a yacht, and I'm driving a small speedboat."

This transaction, following Rocket's purchase of Redfin, could be the start of the creation of large players to compete with the likes of Zillow.

Small lenders across the country, including Forte Bank in Wisconsin, promoted and recruited chief executives in recent weeks.

The bank now offers personal loans up to $50,000 to State Farm customers, the latest step in its effort to broaden its customer base by teaming up with other companies.

Royal Bank of Canada executives said they plan to start originating more mortgages in the United States, and they indicated that they may ditch the City National Bank brand.

The Connecticut bank disclosed that Nasdaq waived a shareholder approval requirement so it could urgently raise more than $50 million. Patriot also said its finance chief would step down.

Healthy sales cultures that encourage more personal conversations are productive cultures that create more attuned bankers and happier, better-served customers.