Illinois-based First Mid Bank & Trust has agreed to operational improvements, including making small business loan subsidies and establishing branches in underserved areas, in response to criticism that threatened to derail its proposed merger with Jefferson Bank and Trust. Advocacy groups, including St. Louis Equal Housing and Community Reinvestment Alliance (SLEHCRA) and Woodstock Institute, ...

The state authorized Ameren last month to raise rates enough to boost revenue by nearly 9% or about $220 million a year. The parties discussed at a hearing on Thursday how to divide the costs between residential and industrial customers. “It’s just a matter of how do you split the pie,” said John Coffman, a lawyer who advocates on utility issues for the Consumers Council of Miss ...