Too often, banks confronting a problem with their anti-money-laundering compliance opt for quick fixes that fail to address the root of the problem. Building a good corporate risk culture takes time and investment.

The top five banks in this list closed a net total of 518 branches in 2024.

Deal advisors said the Trump administration's tariff threats and the specter of inflation have given some bankers reason to pause on acquisition plans. Momentum could still mount, but uncertainty in Washington is a detriment early in the new year.

The three-year-old Newport Beach-based institution, which secured $500 million in investor pledges to acquire peers, says more dealmaking may be in the works.

An overhaul of the bank regulatory system is past due, but the urge to start tearing up the rule book must be resisted in favor of precision and the thoughtful application of some basic principles.

Small lenders produced net interest margin expansion in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to interest rate cuts in the second half of 2024. Festering inflation, however, threatens to lead to rate increases that could stall their momentum.

The San Francisco-based bank announced that another consent order with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has been terminated. The six-year-old order was related to the bank's risk compliance management and certain loan practices.

The biggest decline was a 9.9% drop in deposits quarter-on-quarter as of Dec. 31.