The $3.8 billion-asset First Financial missed out on the boom years, spending the middle part of the decade quitting unprofitable business lines and markets, and shedding employees.

We need a diverse industry held accountable by able state and federal authorities armed with the legal and statutory tools necessary to provide effective consumer protection.

The Federal Reserve Board ordered Michigan's troubled Warren Bank to quickly boost capital or find a buyer.

After a consent order from its regulators landed it in default on a line of credit, Amcore Financial Inc. in Rockford, Ill., has paid down some of the debt and gotten an extension to repay the rest.

Hampton Roads Bankshares in Norfolk, Va., swung to a loss for the second quarter, suspended its common share dividend and said it plans to offer stock.

The survival of the fittest has definitely played out among banks competing for middle-market business customers, according to more than 6,000 such companies.

With public sentiment running so hard against the banking industry these days the story of Dwelling House Savings and Loan Association, a $13.4 million minority-controlled mutual in Pittsburgh, is nothing short of amazing.Community leaders have rallied around the thrift for the past few months after cyber thieves took more than $3 million through fraudulent automated clearing house transactions, leaving the thrift with a $1 million capital hole.

MADISON, Wis. – UW CU said yesterday it has agreed to purchase a 14,00-square-foot building in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa from AMCORE Bank, which the credit union will turn into its third branch in Milwaukee.

Regulators closed institutions in five states late Friday, bringing the year's toll to 69 and leaving the FDIC with almost $1 billion more in losses.

SP Acquisition Holdings Inc., a blank check company with $429 million to spend, has agreed to buy the $4 billion-asset Frontier through a share exchange and then recapitalize its bank.

As FSI Group LLC prepared to pour $40 million into Security Bank Corp. last year, it considered what it thought would be the worst-case scenario.

Though the seizure of Security Bank Corp.'s six banks did nothing to change Georgia's reputation as a failure hub, many are calling the resolution the best thing to happen to the state's banking market in years.

A year after posting its first loss, Corus Bankshares is out of capital and out of options. The $7 billion-asset Chicago company reported Friday that it lost $487.3 million in the second quarter, leaving its bank unit with a capital deficit of $157 million.

Despite a second-quarter loss of $43.9 million that left it with a capital shortfall, Integra Bank Corp. in Evansville, Ind., said Friday that it has made progress in dealing with its souring credit quality.

Once out of CUs' price range, former buildings that already have drive-up windows are becoming more affordable, but is it a good move to take one of these on? Find out in the stories below.

MADISON, Wis. — Though fast-food restaurants and gas stations are usually located on prime pieces of real estate and the site plan sets up nicely for a financial branch, the buildings themselves can pose major problems for CUs that are planning to remodel the structure rather than level it.

JANESVILLE, Wis. — As fast-food restaurants, with their choice corner locations and drive-up windows, close due to the economy, they seem a perfect fit for a CU looking to expand its branch network, but there are other factors to consider.

TALLAHASSE, Fla. — Credit unions that have gone through the process of converting a non-financial building to a new branch seem to agree on why they chose that route: location and timeline. While commercial real estate values have declined significantly, prime spots along major thoroughfares that can accommodate a drive-thru easily are still hard to come by, even in shell-shocked real estate markets like Florida.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Credit unions could have the opportunity to snatch up Bank of America branches, now that the banking giant could be cutting up to 10% of its branching network over the next few years.

NORCROSS, Ga. — Credit unions looking to in-store branching to expand their physical footprints need to be aware of the unique nature of such branches.