Alan Kline

Two small Kansas banks that have been discussing a merger for much of the past year have finally pulled the trigger on a deal.

A Maryland real estate investment trust that invests in mortgage-backed securities is planning to raise up to $1.8 billion in a stock sale.

In what would be its largest acquisition in more 15 years, UnionBanCal Corp. in San Francisco is buying Pacific Capital Corp. in Santa Barbara, Calif., for about $1.5 billion in cash.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. intends to open as many 60 branches and will substantially increase its sales force this year as it looks to strengthen its presence in the Southeast and take advantage of market disruption to add new clients throughout its 15-state footprint.

Buoyed by strong top-line revenue growth and improved asset quality, the $1.2 billion-asset First Business Financial Services in Madison, Wis., reported record profits in 2011.

The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday released details on steps three more mortgage servicers are taking to correct deficiencies in their foreclosure practices.

First Citizens BancShares Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., reported only modest earnings growth in 2011 as income gains from failed-bank acquisitions were largely offset by higher loss provisions related to loans it inherited in those deals.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has filed a lawsuit against former officers and directors of Broadway Bank in connection with the bank's collapse two years ago.

Building on its landmark partnership with the Ohio State University, Huntington Bancshares Inc. is launching a new service on campus this week that will allow students to access their bank accounts with their school identification cards.

In what could turn out to be a victory for several banks, a New York judge has thrown out a case against TD Bank in which depositors had accused the bank of unlawfully freezing their accounts.

First Republic Bank in San Francisco is planning to open as many as seven new offices on the East Coast this year and another three on West Coast as it looks to boost its market share among affluent households in the California, New York and Boston markets.

A New York investment group that is planning to buy a Long Island community banking company has agreed to pay the seller a $500,000 break-up fee if the oft-delayed deal is not completed by the end of this month.

A Texas banking company formed two years ago to acquire distressed or failed banks is buying its first healthy bank.

After suffering losses on real estate loans for three straight years, Patriot National Bancorp in Stamford, Conn., has now turned a profit in two consecutive quarters.

Eagle Bancorp of Bethesda, Md., has opened its fourth office in northern Virginia and is planning to establish a fifth later this year.

Fifth Third Bancorp has established a small venture-capital fund to invest in emerging companies that typically do not qualify for bank loans.

Perhaps readying itself for further expansion, Iberiabank Corp. in Lafayette, La., has filed a shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission that would allow it to quickly raise capital for use in pursuing deals.

First Community Bancshares' $40.6 million deal for Peoples Bank of Virginia shows how deals can get done in the slow M&A market and that some can be very simple.

Community West Bancshares Inc. in Goleta, Calif., is closing its four out-of state Small Business Administration lending offices as part of a broad restructuring plan aimed at reducing risk and improving the company's overall health.

After more than 25 years as national bank, Equity Bank in Andover, Kan., is switching to a state charter.