An activist investor is laying the groundwork for a potential proxy battle with Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart.

Lincoln Park Savings Bank in New Jersey is now Lincoln 1st Bank.

Capital Bank Financial in Charlotte, N.C., will record a first-quarter $5.5 million net loss, after it agreed to an early termination of its loss-share agreements tied to three failed banks.

A dozen banks from Arkansas to Virginia are nearing $10 billion in assets, where they will face higher compliance costs and caps on interchange fees. Mergers among those institutions could create a new class of regional bank.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated enforcement actions issued in 2010 against American Bank of Baxter Springs in Kansas and CB Financial in Wilson, N.C., and issued an enforcement action against Hazard Bancorp in Kentucky.

Granite Bank in Colebrook, N.H., has named a Minnesota community banker as its new chief executive.

The Independent Community Bankers of America and the Credit Union National Association sent a joint letter to the Financial Accounting Standards Board urging changes to a proposal to alter how financial institutions establish reserves for loan losses.

Executives at banks that have not taken advantage of low stock prices to buy up their own shares could get hammered during quarterly earnings calls in April.

Banks change top executives all the time, but it's rare that one leaves for another venture and simultaneously gets recruited to the board of the bank he or she is leaving.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

Old Point Financial in Hampton, Va., has agreed to nominate an activist investor's candidate for its board.

Independent Bank Corp. in Rockland, Mass., has agreed to buy New England Bancorp in Hyannis, Mass., the parent of Bank of Cape Cod, for $30.7 million.

C&F Financial in West Point, Va., has named Jason Long chief financial officer of the company and its Citizens and Farmers Bank subsidiary.

A small Connecticut bank takes the plunge into mobile-friendly mortgages in a bid to turn an attractive pool of student-loan borrowers into lifetime customers.

Atlantic Bancshares in Bluffton, S.C., has raised about $4 million to redeem shares issued through the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Consolidation is increasing risk to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. while reducing diversification in the industry.

Wings Financial Credit Union has scored a deal to take over a branch from U.S. Bank at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

First NBC Bank Holding in New Orleans will likely cut its 2015 profit after it discovered errors in its accounting for tax credits.

Lawmakers sharply criticized the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Wednesday over a watchdog report that said the agency used abusive tactics to stop banks from offering refund anticipation loans.

Guaranty Bancorp in Denver has agreed to buy Home State Bancorp in Loveland, Colo., for $133.7 million in cash and stock. The deal is expected to close in the summer.