The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. plans to auction off a controlling stake in Birmingham, Alabama-based Alamerica Bank on Wednesday, a move that could result in Alamerica passing out of minority ownership. While a preliminary bidder's list included several large Black-owned banks, it also included some non-minority bidders. Founded in January 2000, the $15.4 million-asset Alamerica is the smallest of the 17 remaining Black-owned banks in the United States. According to William Michael Cunningham, CEO at Creative Investment Research and an authority on Black-owned banks, the FDIC-owned shares were used as security for a $4 million loan from Silverton Bank. They passed into the FDIC's possession following Atlanta-based Silverton's failure in May 2009. The FDIC “certainly has the right to do this,” Cunningham said Tuesday, but he called it troubling that Alamerica might wind up outside the minority banking sector as a result of the auction. “If Alamerica is no longer a Black-owned bank, that could ruin things from a social and cultural perspective, especially in light of the supposed support for Black banks that followed the death of George Floyd,” Cunningham said.

Kent Curtis, President & CEO of First Southwest Bank, with six locations serving southern Colorado, will serve on the Colorado Bankers Association Board of Directors for a multi-year term. The Board of Directors of the Colorado Bankers Association leads the organization in its policy and industry advocacy efforts. The Colorado Bankers Association represents more than 95 percent of the 129 banks operating in Colorado, which have $190 billion in assets, 1,445 branches across the state and more than 20,000 dedicated employees. With over 25 years of successful banking experience, and proven abilities in all facets of management, motivation, team building, lending, and turn-around, Kent Curtis has held various executive officer positions as well as board memberships throughout his community banking career.

National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a leading financial services company dedicated to providing banking products and services to cooperatives, their members, and socially responsible organizations nationwide, announces Casey Fannon as Acting Chief Executive Officer. "With the sudden passing of Chuck Snyder, NCB's CEO of 29 years on November 6, 2021, NCB and the co-op community have suffered a major loss," stated Debra Huddleston, Chair of NCB's Board of Directors. "We are however very fortunate with the leadership strength of the bank, and I am pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has unanimously approved Casey Fannon as Acting Chief Executive Officer of NCB. The Board has great trust in Casey and his commitment to NCB in serving the co-op community nationwide." 

If it seems like you're hearing a lot more about environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in banking these days, it's not your imagination—the topic has rapidly gained prominence across the industry in 2021 and will likely become even more important in years to come. The growing focus on climate risk has spurred banks (and their regulators) to more closely examine their environmental exposures—how rising sea levels and changing weather patterns might affect their existing loan portfolios. They're also reconsidering their support of companies and projects that generate substantial carbon emissions. Amalgamated Bank, based in New York, is part of a consortium of banks that disclose the greenhouse gas emissions of their loans and investments. A bank executive told Lawler that close to 25% of its loan portfolio is directed toward climate solutions, and the percentage may go up. “We have a bounty of clients looking to solve the world’s problems and looking to partner with us,” the executive says.