Published October 23, 2026 3:30 PM
1 Min Read
In this week's banking news roundup:
- Dime Commercial Bancshares plans to acquire the parent company of Empire State Bank
- Mary Elizabeth Taylor will join Block as head of Americas public policy and government relations
- Bank of America names Jim Fitterling and Bill Thomas to its board of directors, and more.
Photographer: Ingfbruno, via Wikimedia Commons
Dime Commercial plans to buy a Staten Island bank
Dime Commercial Bancshares on Long Island has agreed to acquire ES Bancshares, the parent company of Empire State Bank, in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $58 million.
Empire State Bank is headquartered on Staten Island, where it operates four branches. It has two more in Brooklyn. Dime, which has about $15 billion of assets, has 63 branches, most of which are located on Long Island.
As of June 30, Empire had $617 million of assets, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The deal, which needs regulatory approval, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2027. It has received a thumbs-up from the boards of directors at each bank, the banks said.
"This transaction represents another logical step in Dime's growth strategy," Dime CEO Stuart Lubow said in a press release. "Staten Island is an attractive banking market that has untapped potential for Dime. Empire is a well-run commercial bank that has developed a strong deposit base." —Allissa Kline
Photographer: Jakub Porzycki/Nur
Block names Mary Elizabeth Taylor Americas policy head
Mary Elizabeth Taylor is joining payments firm Block as head of Americas public policy and government relations. Most recently, Taylor served as chief policy officer at blockchain data platform Chainalysis, and was vice president and global head of government and external affairs at Robinhood.
In 2018, Taylor was unanimously confirmed by the Senate as the 32nd assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs — becoming the youngest person and first African American to hold the post. Earlier, she served in the White House as special assistant to the president, directing Senate confirmation strategy for more than 400 nominees, including Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. She previously worked on the Senate floor for Mitch McConnell.
Taylor, a Bryn Mawr College graduate, has held fellowships at Harvard's Belfer Center and Stanford's Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program. —Traci Parks
Bloomberg
Bank of America’s board taps Fitterling and Thomas
Bank of America has named Jim Fitterling and Bill Thomas to its board of directors. Fitterling, 65, serves as executive chairman of Dow Inc. Thomas, 58, served as global chairman and chief executive officer of KPMG International from 2017 to 2026.
In a statement, Bank of America Chair Brian Moynihan emphasized the pair's technical breadth, noting that Thomas provides "deep financial expertise in audit, accounting and financial reporting," while Fitterling adds public company board and industrial supply-chain credentials.
Lead Independent Director Lionel Nowell III said the appointments would strengthen oversight of the company's long-term strategy.
Fitterling began his career at Dow more than 40 years ago, while Thomas has led KPMG through significant transformation and growth. —Traci Parks
Bloomberg
Barclays hires healthcare banker Glowinski from JPMorgan
Barclays has hired investment banker Scott Glowinski as a managing director in its healthcare group, according to a memo reviewed by Bloomberg News.
Glowinski joins the London-based bank after over 10 years at JPMorganChase and will cover healthcare technology companies, venture and private equity investors and big technology companies, according to the memo from Jed Brody, Barclays' head of Americas healthcare.
At JPMorgan, Glowinski advised on deals including last year's sale of Edifecs to Cotiviti and Inovalon Holdings' 2021 take-private by Nordic Capital.
A spokesperson for Barclays confirmed the contents of the memo. A representative for JPMorgan declined to comment. —Michelle F. Davis, Bloomberg News
Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Bank of America senior banker Thomas Sheehan departs for PJT
Veteran Bank of America dealmaker Thomas Sheehan is leaving for PJT Partners, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Sheehan was most recently a chair of global corporate and investment banking at Bank of America, according to his LinkedIn profile. He'll join PJT as a partner on the strategic advisory team, said the person who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information.
Sheehan will be based in New York and will start at PJT after a standard period of leave, the person said.
Representatives for Bank of America and PJT declined to comment. Sheehan didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sheehan spent more than 10 years at Bank of America and almost two decades at Morgan Stanley before that. While at Morgan Stanley, he overlapped with PJT founder Paul Taubman.
At Bank of America, Sheehan sat on the executive committee for the global corporate and investment bank. He co-led the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company's global investment banking business until 2025. —Michelle F. Davis, Bloomberg News