DBA Digest for December 5, 2025

Brought to you this week by:

We fret. We rant. We begin to believe that decline is inevitable, that losing our #1 status is just a matter of time. And yet.

As Delaware’s Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez put it in the most recent issue of Delaware Business Magazine, “[i]n 2024, Delaware formed 289,810 new business entities, and an extraordinary 81.4% of U.S. IPOs chose Delaware incorporation — up from 79% in prior years...Despite media narratives about corporate departures, Delaware had a net gain of companies in 2024, with only eight publicly traded companies leaving the state.”

Now, I’m the last person to suggest we ought to rest on our laurels, stand still while others advance such that eventually we not only stagnate but fall behind. One of our key strategic priorities at the Delaware Bankers Association is “transforming the banking industry” – and by that we mean helping the industry continue to advance, to stay versatile and build resiliency through innovation. That’s why you’ll see not only continued evolution in our reliably-valuable events like the Delaware Trust Conference (check out the recap in the upcoming issue of our Magazine) and our Women Connect gatherings, but also some new programming to meet the issues of the moment, like cybersecurity (December 10^th in-person forum in Wilmington) and housing (December 11^th virtual roundtable). Keep your eyes and ears open for additional new and enhanced opportunities in the first quarter of 2026, including our most important policy convening: the Washington Visit, in March. Interested in sponsoring one or more of these events? Want to learn more about membership and benefits so you can contribute more directly? Know someone who’d appreciate these connections? Please reach out to me or anyone on our team.

The Secretary of State’s article is well worth the read, for the energy and vision she brings and the admonition not to count us out. As she says, “We’re building the corporate law framework for 2050 while our competitors are still catching up to where we were decades ago.” Come join us at the Delaware Bankers and be a part of this great build!

DBA Cyber Forum

December 10 - Wilmington University, New Castle

Join our panel of experts as they discuss current and emerging cyber threats, artificial intelligence, regulatory requirements, & MORE! Whether you're a compliance officer, IT leader, board member, or executive overseeing risk management, the DBA Cyber Forum will equip you with the tools and knowledge to stay ahead in today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Schedule at a Glance:

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Registration/Networking/Welcome

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. Industry Discussion

10:00 – 10:30 a.m. Networking Break

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Emerging Cyber Risks

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Networking Lunch

Sponsored by FoxPointe Solutions.



Unlocking Capital for Housing:

A Roundtable on Funding Programs, Opportunities, and Action

Thursday, December 11th - 4:30 to 6 p.m. (virtual)

Join leading practitioners for a practical, solutions-focused roundtable on the financing tools that drive housing development across Delaware and the surrounding region. Our panel will explain how major programs — including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Opportunity Zones, Historic and New Markets Tax Credits, the OPAL Tax Credit Fund, and the Wilmington First-Start Homebuyers Program — operate in real projects and how they can be combined to unlock capital.

Speakers include representatives from the Federal Home Loan Bank Pittsburgh, Delaware State Housing Authority, NeighborGood, Regional Housing Legal Services, Reimagine Development Partners, Allivate Impact Capital, and others.

This is the first session in a planned series designed to deepen understanding, spark collaboration, and equip financial institutions, community organizations, and developers with the knowledge to drive effective housing investment.

December Legislative Update Now Available!

The Delaware Bankers Association's Legislative Update is your source for the latest developments in state and federal legislation impacting the financial services industry in Delaware. The DBA monitors key legislative and regulatory issues to keep our members informed and engaged. Whether you're a compliance officer, legal advisor, or executive leader, the legislative update is designed to help you stay ahead in an evolving regulatory environment. Stay informed. Stay compliant. Stay connected.

DBA Project Manager RFP

The Delaware Bankers Association is looking for a project manager to coordinate several streams of important work as we update and upgrade our systems and strategy to best meet this complex moment and support members as we look ahead. Please consider and share our RFP as you see fit.  

Fulton Financial to buy

NJ’s Blue Foundry in $243M deal

Fulton Financial Corp. will acquire Blue Foundry Bancorp in an all-stock transaction valued at $243 million, the companies announced Monday. The transaction, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, pushes Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Fulton into northern New Jersey.

The bank gained a presence in the southern part of the state last year with its acquisition of Republic First. The Philadelphia-based bank had locations in New Jersey and New York before it failed.



Acquiring $2.15 billion-asset Blue Foundry, headquartered in Rutherford, New Jersey, gives $32 billion-asset Fulton 21 additional branches in eight counties, including four of the state’s most populous.

Agricultural Banking: Last Call to Participate in ABA's ACRE Survey

The Access to Credit for our Rural Economy Act, also known as ACRE, was enacted to help sustain and grow rural America by making it easier for farmers, ranchers and rural homeowners to access low-cost credit. ABA is interested in your thoughts and feedback about this recent provision aimed at supporting the agricultural industry. Please participate in a brief survey, which closes soon.

Richards, Layton & Finger’s Kinsey Lenehan Chosen for DSBA’s Young Lawyer’s Distinguished Service Award

Kinsey Lenehan, counsel at Richards, Layton & Finger, has been awarded the Young Lawyer’s Distinguished Service Award by the Delaware State Bar Association for her exemplary leadership and service in civic and humanitarian service.

Kinsey mentors Richards Layton’s summer associates and trains junior associates, and she is greatly involved in the firm’s Women’s Initiative, including organizing events and planning leadership panels. She is also the inaugural co-chair of the firm’s Supporting Working Parents group. Kinsey focuses her legal practice on complex transactional matters relating to Delaware alternative entities, including limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and general partnerships. She advises global law firms, national and international financial institutions, privately held funds, investment vehicles, and other entities on a wide range of complex matters.

Webinar: Strengthening Balance Sheets Through Thick and Thin - December 10th, 2 to 3 p.m.

Reciprocal deposits have grown significantly since 2023 and are an essential tool for banks. In this live webinar, you’ll hear from bankers who have employed different strategies to maintain strong balance sheets through a variety of market conditions. Hear authentic customer success stories to demonstrate IntraFi’s role as a strategic partner helping banks strengthen their balance sheets. Review solutions for different market conditions & different balance sheet situations. Learn what strategies to consider to address varying goals & circumstances. Note: This webinar is only available to ABA bank members and to non-member banks. 

Artificial Intelligence Legal Update: Bringing Order to the Chaos - December 10th

In this webinar, we will bring order to the chaos and provide attendees with an overview of the existing AI laws and regulations. To drive understanding and comprehension, we will use a unique topic and use-case based approach breaking the laws down across topics, including consumer disclosure obligations, risk assessment requirements, pricing algorithms, employee-specific issues, provenance, and frontier model laws. Attendees will walk away not only with an understanding of the current state and local legal requirements governing AI but also with a framework to understand and digest new laws enacted moving forward. Wednesday, December 10th, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET

The CFPB’s Funding Crisis: Legal, Operational, and Policy Implications: December 15th Webinar

In a stunning development, Acting CFPB Director Russ Vought informed the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Judge Amy Berman Jackson) that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will exhaust its funds by year-end unless Congress provides a direct appropriation. This program will provide critical insights for financial institutions, compliance professionals, in-house counsel, and policymakers navigating the far-reaching implications of the CFPB’s funding crisis - both for near-term compliance and the long-term structure of consumer financial protection. December 15, 2025: 12:00 p.m. ET.

The Community Foundation Advantage:

Flexible, Practical Solutions for Charitable Clients - December 17th

Learn how the variety of charitable funds and philanthropic expertise available through the community foundation can help you better serve your clients. Through a client focused and collaborative approach, the community foundation team works with you and your clients to explore a range of options available to help them achieve their short and long-term charitable goals and/or leave a meaningful personal or family legacy. Giving through the community foundation can also be an important strategic component of estate, life-event, business transition and financial planning, providing immediate or future tax

benefits.

December 17, 2:00pm-3:30pm, Delaware Historical Society (Wilmington Campus).

1.5 of CLE credits, automatically reported to the Delaware Commission on CLE

Webinar: Big Changes to Small Change: Managing Through the Shrinking Penny Supply - Dec. 18th

Since the production of the penny ended in August, inventories have been shrinking. Banks and their customers have had to rely on the pennies already in circulation to meet demand. These challenges have been exacerbated by the Federal Reserve’s decision to cease supporting penny circulation at most of its locations across the country. Join this session to learn about how your bank can manage penny inventories as long as possible and what to do when the supply runs out. Join us, December 18th, 12 to 1 p.m. This free webinar is available to ABA bank members only. 

Registration Now Open — March 23–26 National Community Investment Conference

Registration is now open for the March 23–26 National Community Investment Conference in Phoenix, AZ. The 2026 program, Innovations in Public-Private Partnership, will highlight strategies for advancing economic opportunity through access to credit, investment, and financial services, with a focus on effective partnership models. Attendees will hear about successful approaches for attracting and deploying capital in a variety of sessions tailored to financial institutions, community organizations, and public entities who are striving to meet the needs of the communities they serve.