Alan Kline

In a move that could make its shares more attractive to potential investors, Popular Inc. (BPOP) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is planning a reverse stock split in which shareholders would receive a single new share for each 10 shares owned.

Bryn Mawr Trust Company in Pennsylvania is expanding its banking operations into Delaware to go along with its wealth management business there.

EverBank Financial in Jacksonville, Fla., has reduced the size of its planned initial public offering, saying in an SEC filing it will offer 19.2 million shares to the public at $11 to $12 each, not the 12 to $14 each initially planned.

Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) in Maine has struck its first deal in its 125-year history, announcing late Tuesday that it is buying substantially all of the assets and deposits of Border Trust Company in Augusta.

Aided by a decrease in problem loans, improved expense control and robust mortgage-lending activity, Hampton Roads Bancshares narrowed its loss in the first quarter to $7.9 million from $21.4 million in the fourth quarter and $31.6 million the same period last year.

Continuing its rapid expansion throughout the Northeast, Berkshire Hills Bancorp (BHLB) in Pittsfield, Mass., said Tuesday that it has acquired Greenpark Mortgage Corporation of Needham, Mass.

Shares of Premier Financial Bancorp (PFBI) surged to a 52-week high Tuesday after the Huntington, W.Va., four-bank holding company reported a 69% increase in its first-quarter profit.

Flagstar Bancorp (FBC) reported another loss in the first quarter but its chief executive assured investors Tuesday that the Troy, Mich., company will return to profitability this year.

With strong ledgers and creative management, many commuity bankers are proving they can thrive despite greater regulatory hurdles and the ever-present threat of large banks.

CrossFirst Bank in Leawood, Kan., has agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets and deposits of Mercantile Bancorp's $110 million-asset Heartland Bank.

Fulton Financial in Lancaster, Pa., is planning to open six new branches in 2012 and will renovate five others as part of a broader effort to make its branches more inviting and free up staff to better interact with customers.

PVF Capital (PVFC) posted its first profitable quarter in four years as the Solon, Ohio, company benefited from a surge in mortgage lending activity and continued improvement in asset quality.

State Bank Financial in Atlanta reported strong loan growth and lower expenses in the first quarter, but its overall profit fell 38% from the same period last year due what it describes as the "inherent volatility" related to the accounting of failed-bank acquisitions.

Armed with fresh capital from its new ownership group, Crescent Financial Bankshares in Raleigh, N.C., has reported its first profitable quarter in two years and said it has won approval from regulators to resume divided payments on both trust-preferred securities and shares issued to the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

WSFS Financial (WSFS) in Wilmington, Del., has been using its excess capital to open new branches, hire lenders and beef up its wealth management operations, but Chief Executive Mark Turner assured investors and analysts Friday that repaying the $53 million it received from the Troubled Asset Relief Program remains a priority.

First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) in Cincinnati is planning to close 10 of its branches in a move it says will reduce its annual overhead by about $2.3 million.

Thinly traded First Trust Bank was a popular stock with investors early Friday after rumors circulated that the Charlotte community bank could soon be acquired.

Investors Bancorp (ISBC) in Short Hills, N.J., reported a profit of $18.9 million in the quarter that ended March 31, up about 4% from the same period last year, as an acquisition and continued organic growth helped boost earning assets.

Calling it a "milestone in its global growth," Silicon Valley Bank announced late Thursday that it has received permission from British banking authorities to open a full-service banking office in London.

Citizens Republic Bancorp (CRBC) in Flint, Mich., reported its fourth-straight quarterly Thursday profit as loan quality continued to improve and a surge of new deposits helped generate fresh income from investment securities.