Paul Davis

Alliance Bank & Trust in Gastonia, N.C., has a new chief executive.

The banking industry's pace of expansion accelerated after bankers reported increased momentum in applications for commercial loans.

TriState Capital Holdings in Pittsburgh has filed to hold an initial public offering.

CorTrust Bank in Mitchell, S.D., recently bought a bank near Minneapolis and plans to do more deals there. It, like a lot of community banks, is trying to expand into new markets without repeating the precrisis mistakes that doomed many of its peers.

A director of First Cornerstone Bank is looking to buy 85% of the King of Prussia, Pa., bank.

Wisconsin's CIB Marine started losing millions of dollars long before the financial crisis thanks to overexpansion. A succession of three CEOs sold off retail operations, purged assets and used the bankruptcy process to salvage the bank.

Suffolk Bancorp (SUBK) in Riverhead, N.Y., has added a veteran banker to its board.

Eastern Virginia Bankshares (EVBS) in Tappahannock plans to raise $50 million through a private placement and a rights offering.

CNB Financial (CCNE) in Clearfield, Pa., has agreed to acquire FC Banc (FCBZ) in Bucyrus, Ohio, for about $40 million, or $30 a share in cash and stock.

CorTrust Bank in Mitchell, S.D., has acquired a one-branch bank in Blaine, Minn.

Gary Crosby will receive $1 million once he finishes his stint at interim president and CEO of First Niagara in Buffalo, N.Y.

Columbia Banking System (COLB) in Tacoma, Wash., and West Coast Bancorp (WCBO) in Lake Oswego, Ore., announced late Monday that shareholders from both companies approved West Coast's planned sale to Columbia.

Ocwen Financial has added Wilbur Ross Jr. to its board.

Richard Moore became First Bancorp's CEO two years after losing a bid to become the state's governor. Investors are hoping his loss is the company's gain.

A rise in shareholder lawsuits following deal announcements has prompted insurers to vet clients' M&A plans and raise the deductibles banks must pay to settle claims.

First BanCorp in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said that one of its directors resigned over a personal issue with another member of the board.

Community bankers should be more concerned about interest rate risk, mortgage rules and examiner's questions about strategic direction than anything the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau might do, regulators say.

Costly due diligence and the heavy demands of institutional investors still make it difficult for aspiring acquirers to pull the trigger on bank M&A.

Union First Market Bankshares in Richmond, Va., has repurchased a large block of common stock from one of its largest investors.

CommunityBank of Texas has agreed to buy Vista Bank Texas. "These are two independent powerhouses coming together to fill a hole in the Houston banking market," said J. Pat Parsons, CommunityBank's CEO.