A handful of small banks have also struck deals recently that will heighten their name recognition and allow them to cull customers out of massive audiences.

AscendOne Corp., a Columbia, Md.-based debt management business, will pay $4.5 million to settle charges that the company misled consumers about its for-profit status.

A bankruptcy judge allowed AmericanWest to move forward with plans to hold an auction for its bank, despite an objection from a hedge fund attempting to impede the deal.

When all is said and done, home values will likely increase and foreclosed properties will likely experience the greatest benefit of this given their less-expensive price tags.

Herald National Bank has turned a profit less than two years after being started at the height of the financial crisis.

Carolina Bank Holdings Inc. reported a third-quarter loss Tuesday of $2.1 million, compared to a $110,000 loss a year earlier.

Tower Bancorp Inc. and First Chester County Corp. have extended for a third time the deadline for completing their merger.

Private-equity firms are showing more confidence that credit-quality problems are ebbing. Several recent capital infusions have caught the eye of analysts, especially an announcement on Monday by Brand Group Holdings Inc.

There is a sales group that is more hard core than car salesmen. I'm talking about Girl Scouts. In the eyes of the recipients of their sales pitches, you're a pushy salesperson.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Ten students at East Forsyth High School have launched Winston-Salem’s first student-run credit union managed by Truliant FCU.

SAN ANTONIO – River City FCU reached an agreement with H.E. Butt Grocery Co. to open three new branches inside local H-E-B stores.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Altura Credit Union is closing one of its two branches in Hemet, Calif., Credit Union Journal has learned.

The $4.2 billion-asset Honolulu company said in a press release Tuesday that it has been working with a private-equity investor for a $98 million infusion and "is in the process of seeking to finalize an agreement for such an investment by the end of the week."

Charter Oak Bank of Napa, Calif., which is under regulatory pressure to raise capital, has agreed to be sold to Bay Commercial Bank in nearby Walnut Creek for $2.3 million.

First Financial Bankshares Inc. in Abilene, Texas, has closed its $22.2 million acquisition of Sam Houston Financial Corp. The purchase includes Sam Houston's banking subsidiary, First State Bank in Huntsville.

Green Bank in Houston said Tuesday that it has completed the purchase of certain assets in Texas of the failed La Jolla Bank.

The Northeast has emerged as a hotbed of community bank M&A — and the non-distressed kind, with a growing number of deals among small, healthy institutions at premium prices.

Commercial Collection Agency Association (CCAA) members reported a 16.5% decline in the dollar amount of B2B accounts received for collection in the third quarter compared with the year-ago period.

ERIE, Penn. – Erie FCU opened two new branches, one in a Wal-Mart Supercenter and another in a residential walk-up facility.

A group of private-equity investors has agreed to inject $200 million of fresh capital into Brand Group Holdings Inc. in Lawrenceville, Ga., the company announced Monday.