Paul Davis

Investors Bancorp (ISBC) in Short Hills, N.J., has received approval from the Federal Reserve Board to buy Roma Financial (ROMA) in Robbinsville, N.J.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway increased its stakes in U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Bank of New York Mellon (BK) during the second quarter.

Mercantile Bank (MBWM) in Grand Rapids, Mich., expects regulatory hang-ups to delay its acquisition of Firstbank (FBMI) in Alma, Mich.

Alliance Bancorp Inc. of Pennsylvania (ALLB) in Broomall will face a proxy challenge from activist investor PL Capital.

First Merchants (FRME) in Muncie, Ind., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund.

ViewPoint Financial (VPFG) in Plano, Texas, has agreed to buy LegacyTexas Group in Plano.

Tim Howard, dismissed with former CEO Franklin Raines in late 2004, claims in a new book, "The Mortgage Wars," that the GSE was quite healthy — but was the victim of vicious attacks by a banking lobbyist group and regulators.

Timothy Howard is adamant that a private-market fix will not work, though letting GSEs keep holding mortgages is too controversial to get Congressional approval

Bank of Hawaii (BOH) has approved a process where shareholders can pressure directors in uncontested elections.

The $1.2 billion-asset company said Tuesday that net proceeds from the sales totaled $26.3 million. Old Line said the sales will increase its tangible common equity.

Premier Financial Bancorp (PFBI) in Huntington, W.Va., has agreed to buy Gassaway Bancshares in Gassaway, W.Va.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...JPMorgan Reaches Big Mortgage Accord: The New York bank agreed to a $13 billion settlement to resolve the government's longstanding issues with questionable mortgage practices. The Wall Street Journal said the "historic settlement," which ends multiple probes into mortgage bonds issued before the financial crisis, is the largest amount of fines and damages the government has secured from a company in a civil settlement. The New York Times notes that $4 billion in consumer relief was the key component of the deal. The Financial Times reported that JPMorgan agreed to not file any claims with the FDIC, which brokered the sale of Washington Mutual to the company.

Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) in Louisville, Ky., is planning to shut down its only Minneapolis branch just 14 months after entering the market.

Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) in Pikeville, Ky., faces sanctions from the Federal Reserve Board over its assessment of overdraft fees.

Rockville Financial (RCKB) in Rockville, Conn., will merge with United Financial Bancorp (UBNK) in West Springfield, Mass.

Suffolk Bancorp (SUBK) in Riverhead, N.Y., has settled a longstanding lawsuit from investors.

The $680 million-asset company said Wednesday that it launched Bankwell Investment Services after hiring adviser Louis Czerwinski from First Niagara Investment Services.

Credit unions are beating out banks for new loans — and getting paid a lot more than many bank executives to do it.

Credit unions are paying more for talent and getting more aggressive in lending, as bankers start to doubt whether policymakers will ever strip their foes' tax exemption.

The $782 million-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that it halved its stake in Lender Service Provider, to 25%, during the third quarter after adding two members to the processing firm.