Less than two months after completing two small acquisitions, People's United in Bridgeport, Conn., has struck again with a $493 million deal for Danvers Bancorp.

SEATTLE – Puget Sound Cooperative CU plans to open a new branch in the former home of Books by the Way, a local bookstore.

METHUEN, Mass. – Methuen Municipal Employees FCU is moving from the Searles Building, the city hall, to a new location in Methuen’s historic district.

People's United CEO Jack Barnes said Danvers complements his company's footprint from central Massachusetts through Boston and into New Hampshire.

Fourth-quarter earnings at Republic Bancorp Inc. in Louisville, Ky., were up 15% from a year earlier, to $4.4 million as credit costs fell.

Virginia Commerce Bancorp Inc.'s fourth-quarter earnings rose, but fell short of analysts' expectations.

Three companies and their owner, who allegedly falsely claimed they could help consumers quickly eliminate their credit card debts and stop calls from debt collectors, have been banned from the debt relief business under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

The Federal Reserve Board said Thursday it reached a written agreement with Intervest Bancshares Corp. of New York.

Several banks of varying sizes in California and Oregon released loan-loss reserves during the fourth quarter as chargeoffs finally began to exceed provisions.

Doubts that the carveout for small banks will shield their revenues abide, and one index signals little investor confidence in a relative advantage.

The collection business has an exceptionally high churn rate compared with other industries, approximately 90% annually, according to industry sources.

NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. – SAFE CU opened a new branch, its 22nd, to serve residents in Carmichael and Orangevale.

The president and chief executive of Pinnacle Bankshares Corp. in Altavista, Va., is retiring. Robert Gilliam Jr., will leave in a "midyear 2011 time frame," the $303.5 million-asset company said Tuesday in a press release.

Fourth-quarter earnings at Fulton Financial Corp. in Lancaster, Pa., improved from a year earlier in part because of higher mortgage income and a lower loan-loss provision.

Century Bancorp Inc. in Medford, Mass., earned $13.6 million in 2010, boosting net income 33.6%. Fourth-quarter net income at the $2.4 billion-asset company rose 27.2% from a year earlier, to $3.9 million. The results were announced Tuesday.

Hancock Holding Co. in Gulfport, Miss., reported late Tuesday that its net income increased nearly 28% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is targeting directors and executives of another failed bank, but this time the agency has a guilty plea to back its claims of mismanagement.

The face value of business-to-business accounts placed in collections totaled $3.6 billion in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, up nearly 3.4% from $3.5 billion in the third quarter, according to the Commercial Collection Agency Association, which tracks accounts placed with its members. The total face value increase was an estimated $119.3 million.

BankUnited Inc. unveiled estimated terms for an increased initial public offering, with current holders behind the bulk of the equity sale.