John Reosti

The Wyomissing, Pa.-based firm is forgoing cash offers in favor of a more complicated plan that involves spinning the unit off to shareholders, who will then trade their stakes for shares in a Clearwater, Fla., community bank in a tax-free exchange.

The Connecticut company, which is nearing the threshold to become a systemically important financial institution, has bought three businesses in the past year.

Robust growth in net interest income, combined with a lower provision for loan losses, helped boost Webster Financial Corp.'s profits to a record $62.4 million in the third quarter, 26% higher than a year earlier.

The Illinois company, four months removed from its last bank acquisition, just announced the biggest purchase in its history. Alpine Bancorp. will add low-cost deposits and scale to Midland States' wealth management business.

The company, which plans to change its name to Hancock Whitney next year, reported increased profit that reflected balance sheet growth.

TD Bank has pledged $3 million to provide credit counseling to small-business owners. The hope is that those owners will use commercial loans to replace personal credit cards and home equity as their primary forms of business funding.

Efforts to make it easier for small businesses to apply for SBA loans, coupled with key community banks' outreach initiatives, contributed to the third consecutive record for 7(a) lending, but credit union participation is still lagging.

Efforts to make it easier for smaller businesses to apply for SBA loans, coupled by concerted expansion efforts among key regional and community banks, contributed to the third consecutive record for 7(a) lending.

The company, which is still recovering from two recent hurricanes, said it will voluntary comply with several key restrictions that were in the 2010 written agreement.

Metropolitan in N.Y. plans to use its IPO proceeds to fuel CRE and commercial loan growth