After struggling under the weight of higher interest rates, Republic First Bancorp on Friday found another regional lender willing to rescue it: fellow Pennsylvania-based bank Fulton Financial Corp.

To protect Republic’s depositors, the FDIC entered into an agreement with Fulton Bank, National Association of Lancaster — to assume substantially all of the deposits and purchase substantially all of the assets of Republic Bank, effective immediately.

After more than two years of turbulence, regulators seized Republic First Bancorp late Friday and reached an agreement to sell its assets.