Paul Davis

The New York company also reported a wider net interest margin and lower noninterest expenses.

Northwest, which produced lackuster first-quarter results, said it will close all 44 offices of Northwest Consumer Discount Co. by mid-July. The unit’s loans will be transferred to Northwest’s bank for servicing and collections.

Christy Romero, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and two other government entities were involved in a probe that led Lamar Cox, former chief operating officer at Tennessee Commerce Bank, to plead guilty to misleading the FDIC.

The West Virginia company sold the mortgages to Residential Funding and ResCap Liquidating Trust between 2003 and 2007.

The Florida company relied on loan growth and loan sales to offset higher expenses and ongoing issues in its taxi medallion lending operations.

Sierra will pay $36 million for the parent of the $257 million-asset Ojai Community Bank in a deal that should close by the end of this year.

Forecasts for better times ahead in banking have sellers wanting more and buyers pursuing less.

The California company's credit issues eased some in the first quarter, though earnings were down from a year earlier due to charges tied to cost cutting and reductions in three loan categories.

Executives at BB&T, KeyCorp and Citizens are milking commercial lending niches and balancing cost control with new investments while waiting for more rate hikes to fatten margins.

The deal is the latest coastal acquisition for United Community. For HCSB, the sale is the final chapter in a turnaround that began 13 months earlier.

The company has hired an investment bank to help it consider strategic alternatives, which could also include recapitalizing.

The North Carolina company reported lower net income from a year earlier after extinguishing nearly $3 billion in Federal Home Loan bank advances. BB&T also reported more regulatory charges as it deals with a consent order.

The Mississippi company's first-quarter earnings rose 60% from a year earlier. Its results from last year were weighed down by a settlement with regulators.

Jefferson Harralson, the Georgia company's new chief financial officer, had covered banks at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods for 15 years.

Yman Vien says she lost her job at American Metro Bancorp because of her gender. The bank says the move was tied to poor decisions that led to a regulatory order in 2009.

The Memphis, Tenn., company also reported an improvement in credit quality during the first quarter.

The company appointed a representative of Stilwell Group to its board. Stilwell, meanwhile, agreed to back Delanco's board nominees and refrain from pushing for the company's sale.

The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, values Cornerstone at $25.8 million.

Anchor's sale agreement comes less than a year after it put a representative of the activist investor Stilwell Group on its board.

These execs say they are finding ways to reduce fixed costs in areas such as branching and personnel, offer appealing tech, yet provide in-person services when customers have concerns.