Softening inventory reflects a return to a traditionally seasonal market cycle — unlike the pandemic years, when the market was busy year-round, said one broker.

The move, part of a revamp outlined last month that includes store upgrades and "tech-forward" digital banking, will leave the lender with 28 retail locations in Maine.

Recruitment and retention are possible, but they take hard work. Unless they are at the top of the priority list, employers will struggle to find and keep employees, and our state economy will suffer.