Hancock Holding of Gulfport, Miss., has won all federal approvals to acquire Whitney Holding in New Orleans, setting the stage for the deal to close on June 4 and create a $20 billion-asset company with more than 300 branches stretching from Florida to Texas.

Premier Financial Bancorp of Huntington, W.Va., has received regulatory approval to resume dividend payments on its investment from the Treasury Department.

Large community banks that aspire to the next rung face a critical challenge: expanding in size and scope while maintaining their small-bank identity.

Bay Commercial Bank in Walnut Creek, Calif., is moving into the Silicon Valley market with a deal to acquire the $66 million-asset Global Trust Bank for $15.3 million in cash and stock.

California Assemblyman Ben Hueso, a Democrat, has introduced a bill to create a task force to consider the viability of forming a bank that'd use deposits of state agencies to support economic development.

RIVERSIDE, Calif.-Few credit unions have as much experience in performing cost/benefit analyses on branches as does the $726-million Altura CU here.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-Identifying whether or not a branch is performing well or not is not a mysterious process, according to Terence Roche.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-Terence Roche, principal with Cornerstone Advisors, offered these three points for making branches more profitable.

CINCINNATI-Two companies are working with several credit unions to make in-lobby wait times not just less unpleasant, but almost enjoyable, while gathering member feedback in the process.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-It is a mistake to simply measure a branch's performance according to the number of products is sells or cross-sells, according to Mike Kohl, president and CEO of the Kohl Advisory Group, especially if the credit union really doesn't have a handle on the profitability of those products.

Paul Lucas, a branding and marketing consultant, urged credit unions to take a look at whether marketing is doing the "right thing" to support a particular branch, or whether marketing efforts are promoting some branches at the expense of others.

SEATTLE-The key to measuring branch profitability demands an understanding of what constitutes good performance, what is bad performance, and having numbers going back at least three or four years, according to Paul Seibert, VP financial services for EHS Design.

BOSTON-There is no blueprint for the branch of the future, but a new study from Celent, "Branch Banking in a Multi-Channel World, Part II: The Many Faces of Change," points to some common trends among the emerging models.

SAN FRANCISCO – American Airlines FCU joined the “greening” effort at San Francisco International Airport by opening a new branch at Terminal 2 Lower Level, Baggage Claim.

Bell Federal Credit Union and Midwest Partners Federal Credit Union, both in Sioux Falls, S.D., have agreed to merge, creating a $65 million-asset credit union serving 9,000 members.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday released information on written agreements with five banking companies.

The midtier bank seemed destined for the endangered species list after the meltdown, but a fresh crop of small-bank survivors are eager to fill the void.

Naugatuck Valley Financial Corp. in Connecticut has won permission from the Office of Thrift Supervision to convert from a mutual holding company to a 100% stock-owned company.

Northern Trust Corp. will remain the title sponsor of a top professional golf tournament in Los Angeles at least through 2016.

Northern Trust Corp. will remain the title sponsor of a top professional golf tournament in Los Angeles at least through 2016.