Bankers need to let investors know in advance what types of deals they are willing to pursue, along with the financial parameters. Doing so is a critical step in managing shareholder expectations at a time when consolidation is heating up.

Chesapeake Bank & Trust in Chestertown, Md., has named former community bank chief executive Ray Tarrach to its board. Tarrach had been president and CEO of Chestertown Bank, which was renamed Mercantile Eastern Shore Bank in 2004.

CenterState Banks in Davenport, Fla., will record a first-quarter $17.5 million net loss on the early termination of its loss-share agreements associated with seven failed banks.

The election of a Republican president could be the first prerequisite to repealing the financial reform law, but banks still need to argue their case for why repeal is necessary.

The banking industry is grappling with a quickly changing technology environment, and that is particularly true for community banks given their fewer resources. Still, several are looking for ways to provide their customers with cutting-edge digital products, overhauling their antiquated systems and using technology to strip out costs and find better uses for their tech teams. The following are ten examples of community banks that have made technology a priority.

Park Sterling in Charlotte, N.C., has hired Donald Truslow as its next chief financial officer.

Cross Keys Bank in St. Joseph, La., has named a new president and elected a new chairman.

A cybersecurity assessment tool designed to help bankers bolster their defenses against hackers and other cybercriminals is continuing to sow confusion among bankers, with some arguing it is effectively imposing tougher standards on the industry.

Horizon Bancorp in Michigan City, Ind., has agreed to buy Kosciusko Financial in Mentone, Ind.

Commercial BancGroup in Harrogate, Tenn., has agreed to buy NBN Corp. in Newport, Tenn., outbidding a rival in a bankruptcy court auction.

TCF Financial in Wayzata, Minn., will close 33 branches inside Jewel-Osco stores in the Chicago area.

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.

Several bankers left a high-profile meeting with the Financial Accounting Standards Board feeling more comfortable with a plan to change reserve accounting. The meeting was thrown into an abrupt recess after a FASB director and a bank lobbyist clashed over recent statements by FASB's chairman linking community banks to the financial crisis.

A number of bankers used quarterly earnings calls to assure investors that they are carefully monitoring their exposure to commercial real estate at a time when regulators are expressed concern about eroding underwriting standards.

First Resource Bank in Exton, Pa., has received federal regulatory approval to exit the Small Business Lending Fund program.

A former BBCN Bancorp director said that four of the Los Angeles company’s 13 directors did not vote for its purchase of Wilshire Bancorp.

It is outside the realm of possibility for bitcoin's blockchain to serve any useful purpose for the intermediaries it was designed to replace.

As community banks need to make their budgets stretch further, some are looking to vendor consolidation as a way to gain a competitive edge through fewer IT headaches and a more uniform customer experience.

A pair of directors at Malvern Bancorp in Paoli, Pa., have resigned just days after a large investor refused to support their re-election.

Here are the most common mistakes that would-be financial services disruptors make on their way to trying to execute a great idea and business plan.