Hilary Burns

Organizers plan to raise $25 million to $35 million in initial capital to focus on small and midsize businesses in northern Virginia.

Through the "Where We Live" program, the bank will direct philanthropic giving to two wards in the nation's capital and provide financing for affordable housing.

Driver Management said it would also support National Bankshares if it decided to sell itself.

The California company reported increases in loans and deposits, along with a wider net interest margin.

The Connecticut company also reported modest loan growth and a greatly improved net interest margin.

Bigger banks appear to be losing C&I share to small and midsize lenders. That's raising questions about whether community banks — known more for commercial real estate lending — have enough expertise to underwrite deals that larger banks avoid.

ABA Insurance Services, which is owned American Bankers Mutual Insurance, offers a range of services to banks, small businesses and nonprofits.

Efficiency gains also drove results at the Kansas City, Mo., company.

The added heft will help companies like Independent Bank and Berkshire Hills better compete with the bigger banks that control much of the region’s deposits, and perhaps give them a leg up on other giants, including JPMorgan Chase, moving into the Boston market.

First Merchants in Indiana would pass $10 billion in assets by acquiring MBT Financial in Michigan.

Speaking at an industry conference Thursday, two tech executives and a community banker said that community banks should be allowed to experiment with new products without worrying about running afoul of regulators.

The Community Bank Sentiment Index, an outgrowth of a yearly survey conducted by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, is intended to bring attention to market conditions and how they affect small banks' growth prospects.

MiCommunity Bancorp would be the first bank to open in Michigan in 10 years.

Hanmi alleges that SWNB's directors actively advised the Houston bank's investors to reject the merger.

The regional bank is putting its corporate stamp on branches in the two states.

The company will pay $96 million to buy HomeTown Bankshares to gain scale in western Virginia.

The company will record a quarterly charge after reporting potential fraud tied to commercial deposit accounts.

Hanmi Financial wants SWNB in Houston to pay a termination fee, citing "material breaches" of covenants tied to their now-defunct merger agreement.

Colin Walsh, Varo Money's CEO, learned a lot from his first stab at deposit insurance. Lesson one: Work with one regulator at a time.

Paul Yonamine will succeed Catherine Ngo as the company's leader next month. Ngo will continue to run Central Pacific's bank.