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Finance

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon
  • September 20, 2019
Urgent Undertaking

Longtime community bankers, despite some obstacles, believe the timing is right to invest — significantly — in the industry’s future.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield
  • June 14, 2019
ConnexPay pioneers funds on the fly model for online travel agencies

Naples startup processes millions of dollars in transactions per day with a one-of-a-kind fintech model. Market education is the next hill to climb.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 14, 2019
Are credit unions the new community banks?

Credit unions, nationally and especially in Florida, are diving into a new form of expansion: buying banks. A pair of billion-dollar area credit unions lead the way in the buy-to-grow strategy.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 14, 2019
Several banks — even smaller ones — show strength in managing assets

A pair of Crews Banking Corp. subsidiaries leads the way in two banking metrics.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon
  • June 14, 2019
Several area banks surge ahead in assets

Banks in the region added $6.1 billion in assets in the first quarter.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon
  • June 14, 2019
College football stars shine in private equity

Brothers, college football stars and entrepreneurs, the Weatherfords have decades of success. Up next? Conquer private equity.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon
  • June 14, 2019
Prominent banker comes back for more

One of the state’s most well-known bankers reflects on a long career, citing a focus on the basics as a key to success. ‘I kept things light, kept things simple,’ Bill Klich says.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson
  • April 19, 2019
Community bank, fresh off name change, looks for big opportunities in new areas

Arcadia-based Crews Bank & Trust is moving into Sarasota with a branch opening downtown soon.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield
  • April 19, 2019
Gulf Coast banks bucking national trend

Federal Reserve survey suggests a tightening in commercial lending nationally, but banks in the region are seeing the opposite. One key factor: the surging population.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon
  • April 19, 2019
Banker, nearing 80, forges ahead with tech startup

CapTec is a matchmaking entity of sorts to connect small businesses nationwide with community banks for loan opportunities, using proprietary data algorithms.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz
  • April 19, 2019
Free to thrive: Bank relishes its one-of-a-kind status

Cathy Swanson, CEO of fast-growing St. Petersburg, Florida-based Freedom Bank, sees consolidation within the state's community banking sector as a huge opportunity for locally owned financial institution.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz
  • April 19, 2019
Bank shot: CEO returns to his roots with strategic acquisition

Katz Capital, a multifaceted Tampa, Florida, investment and finance holding company, has acquired Camp Grove State Bank, a tiny bank serving farmers in rural Illinois. CEO Brian Katz explains the thought process behind the purchase.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz
  • March 1, 2019
Up in smoke: A bank explains its big bet on barbecue

Dr. BBQ, Ray Lampe, has teamed up with Tampa Bay restaurateurs Roger and Suzanne Perry to open Dr. BBQ, an upmarket barbecue restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida, financed by Valley National Bank.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon
  • February 15, 2019
Prominent NY family targets region to grow wealth management firm

Here’s a sign the economy in the Sarasota market remains robust: One of the wealthiest families in the New York City banking and real estate scene is relying on the region as a launch pad for a new wealth management company.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield
  • February 8, 2019
How to get a business loan when you need one

Commercial banker recommends developing a relationship with a lender, doing your homework for the smoothest and quickest possible approval process.

  • Finance
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