Activist investor Diligence Capital Management is pushing for a board overhaul at Eagle Bancorp, a Maryland-based lender struggling with significant commercial real estate losses. The firm, which owns 27,500 shares in the $10.5 billion-asset company, wants three new directors with bank turnaround expertise installed on the board. Diligence's CEO James Abbott is calling for the replacement of board chairman James Soltesz, arguing he lacks necessary experience to guide the bank through its current challenges. The campaign reflects a broader trend of activist investors targeting underperforming regional banks, following similar pushes at Comerica, KeyCorp, and Columbia Banking System last year. Eagle is simultaneously searching for a new CEO after reporting substantial losses tied to its outsized commercial real estate portfolio during the first nine months of 2025.
