Long Island-based Dime Commercial Bancshares has agreed to acquire ES Bancshares, parent company of Empire State Bank, for about $58 million in cash and stock. The deal would expand Dime's New York City footprint and bring it into the Staten Island market. It is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027. Both banks' boards have approved the transaction.
Dime deal would add six Empire State branches
Empire State Bank is headquartered in Staten Island, where it operates four branches, and has two more in Brooklyn. The bank had $617 million in assets as of June 30, 2026. Dime has about $15 billion in assets and 63 branches, most of them on Long Island.
Dime Chief Executive Stuart Lubow said the acquisition fits the bank's growth strategy. He described Staten Island as a market with room to develop and cited Empire State's established deposit base. The companies have not disclosed further deal terms. Regulatory approval remains outstanding.
Block names Mary Elizabeth Taylor to lead Americas policy
Payments company Block appointed Mary Elizabeth Taylor head of public policy and government relations for the Americas. Taylor was previously chief policy officer at blockchain data platform Chainalysis and a vice president and global head of government and external affairs at Robinhood.
In 2018, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Taylor as the 32nd assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs. She was the youngest person and the first African American to hold the role. Earlier, she led White House Senate confirmation strategy for more than 400 nominees, including Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. She also worked on the team of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Bank of America adds two directors
Bank of America appointed Dow Executive Chairman Jim Fitterling and former KPMG International Global Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Thomas to its board. Fitterling is 65; Thomas is 58 and led KPMG International from 2017 to 2026.
Chairman Brian Moynihan said Thomas brings experience in auditing, accounting and financial reporting, while Fitterling adds public-company board experience and an industrial supply-chain background. Lead independent director Lionel Nowell III said the appointments would strengthen board oversight of the bank's long-term strategy. Fitterling has spent more than 40 years at Dow. During Thomas's tenure, KPMG underwent business transformation and growth.
Barclays hires JPMorgan healthcare banker
Barclays hired Scott Glowinski as a managing director on its healthcare team. After more than 10 years at JPMorgan, he will focus on healthcare technology companies, venture capital and private equity investors, and large technology companies.
Jed Brody, Barclays' head of healthcare for the Americas, outlined the appointment in an internal memo. A Barclays spokesperson confirmed the memo's contents. Glowinski has worked on transactions including the sale of Edifecs to Cotiviti last year and Nordic Capital's 2021 take-private of Inovalon Holdings.
Thomas Sheehan to leave Bank of America for PJT Partners
Veteran Bank of America dealmaker Thomas Sheehan is moving to PJT Partners as a partner in its strategic advisory group. He was one of Bank of America's global corporate and investment banking chairs and co-led its global investment banking business until 2025. Sheehan will be based in New York and is due to start after a customary period of leave.
Sheehan spent more than 10 years at Bank of America and nearly 20 years at Morgan Stanley, where he worked with PJT founder Paul Taubman. He also served on Bank of America's global corporate and investment banking executive committee. Neither company provided further comment on his departure or arrival.