Paul Davis

Hancock Holding (HBHC) in Gulfport, Miss., has agreed to sell its property and casualty and group benefits lines of business to AssuredPartners in Lake Mary, Fla.

A unit of SunTrust (STI) in Atlanta has acquired an advisory firm that targets the oil and gas industry.

NewBridge Bancorp (NBBC) in Greensboro, N.C., has completed its redemption of preferred stock tied to the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

QCR Holdings (QCRH) in Moline, Ill., has redeemed more preferred stock it issued to the Treasury Department under the Small Business Lending Fund.

Bankwell Financial Group (BWFG) in New Canaan, Conn., has agreed to buy Quinnipiac Bank & Trust in Hamden, Conn.

Community banks are considering issuing their own credit cards as a way to protect their customer relationships and bring in fee income.

Farmers National (FMNB) in Canfield, Ohio, has finally reached a separation agreement with a chief executive it ousted six months earlier.

Hudson Valley Holding (HVB) in Yonkers, N.Y., announced Friday that the chief administrative officer of its bank is leaving to take the helm of a New York trust.

The $3 billion-asset said in a press release Thursday that Matthew Lindenbaum, principal of Basswood Capital Management, had become a director.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has pumped $117 million into its U.S. bank to fund the purchase of online banking startup Simple.

Great Southern Bancorp (GSBC) in Springfield, Mo., reeled in more deposits and loans from a recent branch deal compared to what it had originally forecast.

BB&T (BBT) in Winston-Salem, N.C., has agreed to buy insurance agency Woodbury & Co.

Yadkin Financial revealed in a regulatory filing that merger talk is running rampant across the state. Yadkin agreed to merge with VantageSouth in January to create North Carolina's biggest community bank.

First Federal Bank of Wisconsin in Waukesha and Bay View Federal Savings and Loan Association are merging.

Four Oaks Fincorp (FOFN) in Four Oaks, N.C., could raise more than $27 million in a securities agreement and rights offering.

United Community Banks (UCBI) in Blairsville, Ga., said it expects to report earnings of $14 million to $15 million for the first quarter.

Bay Banks of Virginia in Kilmarnock is adjusting its 2013 financial results after unloading a troubled asset.

Solera National Bancorp's annual meeting is quickly shaping up to be a free-for-all.

Simmons First (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to buy Delta Trust & Banking in Little Rock, Ark.

Solera National Bancorp (SLRK) is being challenged by a former director who wants to wrest control of the Lakewood, Colo., company's board.