Some analysts believe Sterling should cultivate its specialty in commercial and industrial lending, where there is room aplenty to grow, rather than chase a potentially risky bank deal.

A new survey of risk managers across Europe shows many expect an improvement in credit card and auto loan performance in the next six months, with much less optimism for mortgage loans and small business loans.

Rockland Trust Co. of Rockland, Mass. has joined the handful of banks giving their customers the ability to deposit checks with a smartphone.

Repeating a familiar pattern of recent years, banks failed Friday in Georgia and Illinois. Two were closed in Georgia; another, in Chicago, was the city's first failure of 2011.

CNB Financial Corp. in Clearfield, Pa., said Friday that fourth-quarter net earnings jumped almost 90%, to $2.9 million, compared with a year earlier.

Eastern Virginia Bankshares in Tappahannock said Friday that it had suffered an $8.1 million loss in the fourth quarter as its borrowers struggled to make payments.

Net income at First Interstate BancSystem in Billings, Mont., grew 24.2% from the third quarter, to $10.8 million. The $7.5 billion-asset company attributed the results to strong income from the origination and sale of residential real estate loans and the reversal of previously recorded mortgage-servicing rights impairment.

Repeating a familiar pattern of recent years, banks failed Friday in Georgia and Illinois. Two were closed in Georgia; another, in Chicago, was the city's first failure of 2011.

With one of the largest war chests of capital in the Pacific Northwest, Columbia Banking in Tacoma, Wash., has long been viewed as one of that market's likely consolidators.

With one of the largest war chests of capital in the Pacific Northwest, Columbia Banking in Tacoma, Wash., has long been viewed as one of that market's likely consolidators.

Three companies that resell consumers’ credit reports settled Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that they did not take reasonable steps to protect consumers' personal information, failures that allowed computer hackers to access that data, the FTC announced Thursday.

SunGard officials announced Thursday that the company has acquired PredictiveMetrics, a company that provides predictive scoring and analytical services for collections, credit, utilities and other markets.

The Federal Reserve Board said it has reached a written agreement with Cokato Bancshares Inc. of Cokato, Minn. The $55.5 million-asset company agreed to be a source of strength for State Bank of Cokato, which has been under a consent order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. since May.

Unity Bancorp Inc. in Clinton, N.J., said Thursday that its fourth-quarter loss widened by 25% from the period a year earlier, to $299,000.

Center Financial Corp. in Los Angeles swung to a $5.7 million fourth-quarter profit from a loss of $25.2 million as credit quality showed signs of stability.

The $2.7 billion-asset company announced Thursday that it would build an 11,000-square-foot regional headquarters in Indianapolis, five years after it ventured 120 miles south from its headquarters with the opening of a loan production office.

When Wall Street investors opened their wallets wide to BankUnited Inc., they were sending a message to other capital-hungry community banks. It just was not the message that those banks were hoping for.

ACA International, the largest association representing collection agencies, debt buyers and collection attorneys, has responded to a report from the Consumers Union and East Bay Community Law Center called "Past Due: Why Debt Collection Practices and the Debt Buying Industry Need Reform Now."

NexTier Inc. in Butler, Pa., announced Wednesday that a private-equity firm, Snyder Group, has agreed to buy a 51% stake in the struggling company.

German American Bancorp in Jasper, Ind., said Wednesday that net income climbed 10% in 2010. The $1.4 billion-asset company earned $13.4 million, or $1.21 a share, compared with net income of $12.2 million, or $1.10 a share.