Hancock, of Gulfport, Miss., is buying the larger New Orleans-based Whitney. Hancock would gain an entree into Texas and Louisiana and a bigger presence in Florida and Mississippi.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp in Pittsfield, Mass., has agreed to pay $108 million for hometown rival Legacy Bancorp.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp said the nearly $110 million deal for Legacy Bancorp will further bolster its presence in western Massachusetts and neighboring New York.

The $8.3 billion-asset Hancock is buying the larger $11.5 billion-asset Whitney, which has faced growing losses and deteriorating credit quality for several quarters. The deal would expand Hancock's operations in the Southeast and create a combined institution with approximately $20 billion of assets.

F.N.B. Corp. in Hermitage, Pa., announced Tuesday that longtime board member Peter Mortensen is retiring. The former chairman of the $9 billion-asset F.N.B. plans to leave when his term expires in May.

Shareholders at PremierWest Bancorp in Medford, Ore., have approved a reverse split of the company's stock, which could boost its share price.

Webster Financial Corp. said Tuesday that it plans to raise $156.6 million to help pay off its Troubled Asset Relief Program funding.

Anchor BanCorp in Madison, Wis., has regained compliance with Nasdaq listing requirements after its stock price rose in recent weeks.

The federal bank regulators announced asset-size thresholds Tuesday for small institutions to qualify for easier Community Reinvestment Act exams.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced three shared-equity deals Tuesday for a total of $620 million in failed-bank assets.

Brandon Steele knows how to process crude oil, sew duffle bags and raise cattle. But being chairman of a community bank is a new one for this serial business owner.

IMGCAP(1)]

Webster Financial Corp. in Waterbury, Conn.,is raising capital to pay off the balance of the Treasury Department's investment under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Central Pacific Financial Corp. in Honolulu said Monday that it renegotiated its stock conversion rate with the Treasury Department related to its $135 million in Troubled Asset Relief Program funds.

When Cordia Bancorp formed in 2009, the plan was to acquire a shelf charter to bid on failed banks. With the market moving faster than regulators, that strategy has been ditched.

Shareholders of First Niagara Financial Group Inc. and NewAlliance Bancshares Monday overwhelmingly approved their merger agreement despite strong disapproval from Connecticut officials.

EL SERENO, Calif.-The marriage of a coffee shop with a branch of Cal State L.A. FCU is percolating just fine, according to the CU.

Hudson City Bancorp Inc., one of the largest residential lenders in the mid-Atlantic area, on Friday pulled the plug on a plan to move to a commercial bank from a thrift holding company.

Encore Bancshares in Houston said Friday that it had received regulatory approval to sell certain operations in Florida to Ovation Holdings Inc.

Pinnacle Bankshares Corp. in Altavista, Va., said Friday that it is looking for a new president and chief executive. The $334.7 million-asset company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Robert H. Gilliam Jr. plans to retire from the company and its First National Bank unit "in a midyear 2011 time frame."