Banking and Lending

UniBank Acquires Historic Whitinsville Property
UniBank said it has purchased a historic property connected to its founder in the heart of Whitinsville, the main village in the town of Northbridge.

Berkshire Bank, Brookline Bank to Become Beacon Bank & Trust
Once the merger between Boston-based Berkshire Bank and Brookline Bancorp is completed, the new bank will go by a new name, the two lenders announced late Wednesday.

PCT Federal Credit Union Rebrands to Cranberry Federal Credit Union
PCT Federal Credit Union has changed its name to Cranberry Federal Credit Union. The West Wareham credit union changed its name to better reflect its roots in the community.

Report Predicts Biotech Shrinkage as Federal Changes Take Hold
Job and labor force surveys are starting to pick up on the early impacts of President Donald Trump’s trade and tariff policies and other federal government shifts to Massachusetts, economists at MassBenchmarks said.

Cornerstone Bank Merging With Athol Savings Bank
The merger would expand Cornerstone into North Central Massachusetts and comes less than a year after it merged with PeoplesBank.

Personnel File – No. 414
From new VPs to fresh project managers, see who’s been hired, promoted and honored: It’s our weekly Personnel File roundup.

LIHTC Increases Could Boost Bank CRE Investment
Area bankers say the big boost to federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” could unlock more funds even though the rest of real estate is starved for capital.

Chase Plans 10 More Mass. Branches in 2025
Chase has 10 more branches to go in order to meet its goal of 25 new locations by the end of the year.

Eastern Bank Adds New Chief Impact Officer
The Eastern Bank Foundation has named Miriam Ortiz as its new chief impact officer.
Harvard Federal Credit Union Opens New Branch
Harvard Federal Credit Union has opened a new branch at One Brigham Circle in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood.
Citi Launches Strata Elite Card to Compete With AmEx and Chase
There’s a new but familiar face coming to the world of high-end credit cards.

Personnel File – No. 413
From new VPs to fresh project managers, see who’s been hired, promoted and honored: It’s our weekly Personnel File roundup.
Not Just Florida: Extreme Weather Raising Mortgage Risk in Mass., Too
Massachusetts has seen seven, billion-dollar weather disasters in the past two years. It’s a fundamental shift lenders can’t ignore.

Economic Jitters Didn’t Deter Q2 C&I Growth at Eastern Bank
Eastern Bank executives said their institution turned in a strong second quarter despite economic jitters that caused many companies nationwide to pause investments.

Berkshire Reports Best Quarter Since 2021 Turnaround Launch
While its executives wait for regulators to approve a proposed merger with Brookline Bancorp, Berkshire Bank executives got to bask in the glow of a strong quarterly earnings report.

OpenAI Exec Warns of AI Voice Fraud Crisis in Banking
The financial industry faces a “significant impending fraud crisis” because of the technology’s ability to bypass security checks and move money, Sam Altman said.

More Americans Shift Money from Savings to Investment Accounts, Study Says
New research identifies a trend that helps to explain the resilience of the U.S. economy after a bout of high inflation and recent uncertainty due to tariffs.

Rockland Trust CEO: Now Aiming for Organic Growth, Not Mergers
Rockland Trust built its sizable position in the Eastern Massachusetts banking market on 20 years of successful acquisitions. But these days, it’s focused on demonstrating it can grow on its own.

Personnel File – No. 412
From new VPs to fresh project managers, see who’s been hired, promoted and honored: It’s our weekly Personnel File roundup.
Equity Contracts Aren’t So Hot
There comes a time in practically every homeowner’s life when they consider using the equity they’ve built up in their house for one purpose or another.