Paul Davis

How do you top a guest speaker like all-everything quarterback Joe Montana at your banking conference? Bring in his former 49er teammate Jerry Rice, the ICBA decided.

Bankers at this year's ICBA convention in Hawaii expressed hope that an increase in loan applications — as well as some relief from pending regulations — will bode well for 2014 and beyond.

Bankers gathered for the ICBA convention in Hawaii say intensifying competition from larger players is prompting more discussion about the need to gain scale — most likely through consolidation.

Upstate New York banker John Buhrmaster will spend the much of the next year fighting for community banks as they struggle to keep pace with mounting regulations. But he also intends to remind his counterparts that it's crucial for them to find new income streams.

First United (FUNC) in Oakland, Md., has received regulatory approval to catch up on interest payments for certain obligations.

John A. Allison is planning to retire from the board of BB&T (BBT) in Winston-Salem, N.C.

An unsolicited offer from an unnamed institution prompted Team Capital Bank in Bethlehem, Pa., to explore selling itself.

Synovus (SNV) in Columbus, Ga., is planning to replace two directors and pursue a 1-for-7 reverse stock split.

Stilwell Group is irate that Poage Bankshares has agreed to buy another Kentucky bank. The activist investor would prefer to see the company buy back stock and, eventually, find a buyer.

First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) in Raleigh, N.C., said that another key member of its controlling family is stepping down.

Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) in Moultrie, Ga., has received regulatory approval to buy back its remaining preferred stock tied to the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Central Pacific Financial (CPF) in Honolulu will repurchase a large block of stock from two investors.

Mercantile Bank (MBWM) in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Firstbank (FBMI) in Alma, Mich., are extending the termination date for their delayed merger.

Park Sterling (PSTB) in Charlotte, N.C., has added to its recently established team in Virginia.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Is it Time to Tighten Up? That is the question that some Fed officials apparently raised during the central bank's policy meeting last month. Some members showed support for raising interest rates. The Journal notes that, "The fact that the subject came up at all … shows how the central bank's policy debate is slowly and subtly evolving." The New York Times discusses how the Fed's minutes portend a further reduction in stimulus efforts.

Banner Corp. (BANR) in Walla Walla, Wash., has agreed to buy six branches in Oregon from Sterling Financial (STSA) in Spokane, Wash.

South Street Financial had just given up on raising capital and had hired Raymond James to evaluate possible suitors when a BNC representative visited the CEO's office to request merger talks.

An investment firm in North Carolina has raised its stake in Republic First Bancorp (FRBK) in Philadelphia.

CVB Financial (CVBF) in Ontario, Calif., has agreed to buy America Bancshares in Newport Beach, Calif.

The former bank analyst is striking out on his own after shutting down an investment firm he co-founded with banker Vernon Hill.