Robert Barba

United Western Bancorp Inc. in Denver said its thrift was undercapitalized at Sept. 30 after further writedowns on its portfolio of mortgage-backed securities.

Norwood Financial Corp. in Honesdale, Pa., has agreed to buy rival North Penn Bancorp Inc. of Scranton for $27.1 million.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has thrown its support behind legislation that would allow longtime borrowers to continue to have their loans guaranteed.

First Bank of the Palm Beaches has managed to maintain a middle-of-the-road status in the treacherous world of Florida banking.

After two weeks without any failures, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized two small banks on Friday. The banks, with $365.3 million in combined assets, are expected to cost the Deposit Insurance Fund $113.1 million.

After two weeks without any failures, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized two small banks on Friday. The banks, with $365.3 million in combined assets, are expected to cost the Deposit Insurance Fund $113.1 million.

Heritage Financial Corp. in Olympia, Wash., is taking a 10% discount to its common stock to raise $50 million of fresh capital.

First State Bancorp. has spent 16 months trying to convince buyers that its deposit franchise outshines its flaws, but its time to strike a deal might be dwindling.

Home Federal Bancorp Inc. of Shreveport, La., has launched a syndicated community offering to complete a second-step conversion.

Park National Corp. in Newark, Ohio, is adding $5 million of common equity to its war chest. The $7.1 billion-asset company said Wednesday that it had agreements with institutional investors to sell nearly 72,000 shares.

Wintrust Financial Corp. in Lake Forest, Ill., is raising capital to repay government funding.

Unless Congress acts before Jan. 1, more than 4,200 farmers who have used Farm Service Agency loans for more than 15 years will be unable to get loans with federal guarantees. This is significant since farmers often take out operating loans each year to fund purchases of fertilizer and other supplies.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has decided that four banks started by Capitol Bancorp Ltd. should not bear financial responsibility for the failure of a Florida bank.

The failures of banks in Southern California have left a fragmented market that is fertile ground for growth, says Gregory A. Mitchell, the president and CEO of First PacTrust.

Heritage Financial Group Inc. in Albany, Ga., said Tuesday that it has finished its second-step conversion and is now a stock holding company.

Heartland Financial USA Inc. in Dubuque, Iowa, has picked up a team of mortgage bankers that had worked at a failed Arizona thrift.

In less than a year it has transformed itself from a tiny, $75 million-asset bank in Troy that focused on private banking to an almost $2 billion-asset regional player with branches in two states and its sights set on further expansion.

Superior Bancorp in Birmingham, Ala., is seeking $58 million from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, a fund created by the oil company BP to cover damages caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Cambridge, Mass., wants vitality and diversity in its squares, but this may exclude bank branches.

First Southern Bank in Boca Raton, Fla. is realigning its organization to make it easier to expand.