Northwest's CFO search, Plains State's new small-business portfolio

Northwest Bancshares has initiated a search for a new chief financial officer to succeed longtime CFO William Harvey Jr., who plans to retire from the company at the end of 2024. The search, which will include internal and external candidates, is expected to take four to six months to complete, the Columbus, Ohio-based company said in a press release. Harvey, a 27-year veteran at Northwest, also serves as the firm's chief operating officer and sits on the board of directors. He will retire on Dec. 31, 2024, from those roles as well, and then serve as a consultant to the company through the end of December 2025, Northwest said. Northwest Bancshares, with $14.3 billion of assets, is the parent company of Northwest Bank, which operates 134 retail branches in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Indiana. — Allissa Kline

Plains State Bank in Houston said Wednesday it acquired Core+ Financial Strategies and Core+ Tax Strategies, adding a portfolio of services for small businesses and individual customers. "The principals at Core+ have been helping clients with investment planning for many years," said Lori Hilman, president and chief operating officer for Plains State Bank. "It just made sense that this was the next step: Rather than having this longtime referring relationship, let's have Core+ become a part of our family." The acquisition brings wealth management and tax experience — along with more than $300 million of client assets — from Core+ Financial Strategies to go along with PSB's existing core lending and treasury management services. Core+ Financial Strategies and Core+ Tax Strategies, which have locations in Houston and Cypress, Texas, will continue to operate as usual. — Jim Dobbs