Paul Davis

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.

Aubrey Patterson keeps in touch with his successor and advises bankers to think twice before surpassing $10 billion in assets and earning more regulatory scrutiny.

The Memphis, Tenn., company has been quietly hiring business lenders in key cities in North Carolina and Virginia and would consider selective acquisitions, CEO Bryan Jordan says.

Bryan Jordan, the CEO of First Horizon, says regulation and competition are forcing banks to find ways to connect with customers who don't want face-to-face contact.

It could take another two years for Renasant to get close to its investor returns from before the crisis, and that's OK, CEO Robin McGraw says.

Ray Grace, the acting banking commissioner of North Carolina, used humor to deflect some tough questions aimed at regulators about limits on bank startups.

Bob Braswell of Carolina Bank in Greensboro, N.C., gave the mayor and city council an earful after tiring of a bitter funding dispute.

The banking industry's pace of expansion, which had shown signs of accelerating in late 2012, appears to have lost momentum.

Dan Rollins suggested that BancorpSouth undertake a sequester-style process to reduce expenses.

Ken Lehman is buying outsized stakes in community banks, using his personal funds and often introducing himself to CEOs with a direct phone call.

F.N.B. Corp. (FNB) in Hermitage, Pa., will enter Cleveland after agreeing to buy PVF Capital (PVFC) for roughly $106 million, or $3.98 a share, in stock.