John Reosti

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

The agency has a relatively new program designed to quickly get funds into disaster-stricken areas. The problem is that many banks and credit unions don't know it exists.

The focus has been on CUs getting at least some of their corporate stabilization assessments back earlier than expected, but NCUA's real goal is to prop up the Share Insurance Fund.

The NCUA is proposing a special payout of up to $800 million to credit unions next year, which may boost lending. Banks were uncharacteristically silent on the plan.

While credit unions will likely be pleased with a rebate of as much as $800 million, that amount could have been significantly more, had the regulator not voted to raise the normal operating level.

Ned Handy, who will take the helm in March, wants to be more aggressive luring deposits in the company's home state. That should reduce its reliance on other funding sources to support loan growth.

Joseph MarcAurele will retire as chairman and CEO in March. The company's president and chief operating officer, Ned Handy, will take the helm.

Chemical Financial and Fidelity Southern are the latest banks to curtail auto lending, blaming trends in auto sales and overheated competition.

Grand Mountain Bank raised $7 million to help it exit the crisis-era capital program.

Who doesn't want cash back, and sooner than planned? Credit unions -- if it means they'll receive some $800 million less.

The agency and the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions plan to boost efforts to get more credit unions involved with SBA lending.

David Dotherow, CEO of the newly formed Winter Park National Bank, stresses the need for strong management and a straightforward business plan when applying for a charter.

Chemical Financial's decision to shutter nearly 40 branches and cut more than 200 jobs is a result of improved technology and an effort to become more efficient after years of pursuing acquisitions.

The Michigan company said the branch closures will save it $20 million a year. It also plans to devote fewer resources to indirect auto, where returns have trailed other lending categories.