Paul Davis

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.

Capital Bank Financial (CBF) in Coral Gables, Fla., will revise certain financial statements in its 2012 annual report to reflect a better-than-expected balance sheet tied to a bank it bought.

National Bank Holdings (NBHC) in Greenwood Village, Colo., has received regulatory approval for its bank to pay a $313 million dividend to the holding company.

Great Southern Bancorp (GSBC) in Springfield, Mo., bought a loan portfolio from an unnamed seller.

Baylake Corp. (BYLK) in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., has agreed to buy a branch from Community Bank & Trust in Sheboygan, Wis.

New technologies, strict employee training, cost control and a little psychology are some of the things small-business lenders have tried to counter falling demand and bargain shopping.

Wintrust Financial (WTFC) in Rosemont, Ill., has renegotiated a $100 million loan agreement with outside lenders.

The $1.7 billion-asset company said Thursday that it closed two branches last month, and that another four branches will close by next March.

The executive carousel keeps turning among Korean-American banks. BBCN Bancorp in Los Angeles has hired Daniel Kim as its chief planning officer. Kim is CFO and acting president at Saehan Bancorp, which is in the process of selling itself.

Consumer lending in September fell to its lowest point since early in the year, according to the latest American Banker Index of Banking Activity. Commercial lending provided a minor bright spot, but credit quality may be buckling amid intense competition.

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently lifted its ban on advertising private stock offerings, and it's just in time for community banks that are struggling to attract money from sophisticated investors to bolster capital and avoid selling out to other banks.

Reliance Bancshares in St. Louis was headed toward potential failure when a semi-retired banker, Tom Brouster, stepped in as an investor. Executives broke down their challenges into manageable tasks, focused intently on cleaning up bad loans and are now ready to start lending and pursuing M&A, he says.

Cascade Bancorp (CACB) in Bend, Ore., has outbid another company to snag Home Federal (HOME) in Nampa, Idaho.

The Salt Lake City company has long lagged in mortgages, and now is the time to get more aggressive as big rivals pull back and small competitors struggle with qualified-mortgage rules, CEO Harris Simmons says.

Bankers are devoting more attention than ever to regulatory compliance and cost-cutting, but they need to be careful not to let service suffer in the process, a panel of CEOs said Tuesday.

Northrim BanCorp (NRIM) in Anchorage, Alaska, has agreed to buy Alaska Pacific Bancshares (AKPB) in Juneau.