Daily Brief · July 13, 2026
Digital assets and deposit relief advanced as credit losses emerged
Digital-asset infrastructure, deposit relief, fraud controls and selected bank-specific credit or M&A actions shaped the day.
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Digital-asset payment rails
Citi won Siam Commercial Bank for tokenized-deposit clearing, and the OCC approved Circle’s trust bank charter
The Siam Commercial Bank will use Citi's 24/7 USD clearing and tokenized-deposit service, the first financial institution to use the technology since Citi merged its blockchain and cross-border payment products. The OCC granted Circle a national trust bank charter for Circle National Trust, which will handle digital-asset custody, including USDC-related custody.
Source: American Banker
Community-bank deposit relief and funding trends
ROAD to Housing Act became law with deposit relief
The law took effect on July 11 and includes provisions related to brokered deposits, bank examinations, de novo bank formation and a mentor-protege program for depository institutions. A reciprocal-deposit provision raises the threshold below which reciprocal deposits would not be treated as brokered deposits, which American Banker reported would help smaller banks attract larger local and municipal deposits with less stress-flight risk.
Sources: ABA Banking Journal, American Banker
Small public banks benefited as deposit competition eased
American Banker's ranking of public banks under $2 billion of assets said deposits increased 4% across the banking universe and that top performers maintained low overhead while growing efficiently.
Source: American Banker
Credit loss and fraud controls
FirstSun Capital flagged a $22 million charge-off
The second-quarter hit is tied to a materials-distributor loan after a receiver was appointed by the bank. American Banker reported that FirstSun, parent of Sunflower Bank, said one commercial borrower misrepresented accounts receivable, collateral and performance data; a second loan added a $12.9 million charge-off, and second-quarter charge-offs could reach $43 million.
Sources: SEC 8-K, American Banker
FinCEN fraud sharing gained OCC and FDIC support
The OCC and FDIC issued bulletins encouraging banks to use FinCEN's voluntary information-sharing program for suspected illicit activity. The guidance expands safe-harbor coverage to suspected fraud and attempted transactions, permits sharing of transaction records, IP addresses, device identifiers and video footage, and imposes no new requirements; experts cited by American Banker warned the interpretation has not been tested judicially.
Source: American Banker
CFPB workforce stay and Business First bank-consulting deal
Judge froze CFPB job cuts pending a confirmed director
A federal judge ratified a CFPB-union agreement staying the bureau's 2026 reduction-in-force plan until 60 days after Brian Johnson is confirmed as director. The order delays immediate job cuts and major operational changes tied to that plan, preserving current staffing while the confirmation process proceeds.
Source: American Banker
Business First agreed to buy American Planning to deepen community-bank consulting
The undisclosed-sum acquisition would merge American Planning Corp. into Smith Shellnut Wilson, adding outsourced chief financial officer, director education, de novo, capital-planning and strategy services for community banks. Banking Dive reported that Business First Bancshares, parent of b1BANK, is a serial acquirer and that this is its seventh deal since 2020.
Sources: American Banker, Banking Dive