A new class of megabanks, led by JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, has been willing to eat mountains of bad assets to get their hands on more deposits. Investment banks, once dismissive of the value of such holdings, now want in on the action, too. Why? In the midst of a funding crunch, deposit levels have emerged as the chief determinants of a bank's health.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Credit Union 24, the largest credit union-owned ATM and point-of-sale (POS) network in the U.S., said the number of surcharge-free ATMs available to members of member credit unions has passed 50,000 for the first time.

Southwest Georgia Financial Corp. in Moultrie said Monday that it expects to take a $1 million loss this quarter on the sale of a property and write down as much as $4.3 million of its investment in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac preferred shares.

The Treasury Department opened its temporary guarantee program for money market funds Monday and released more details about how it would work.

Shares of Macatawa Bank Corp. fell sharply Monday after the Holland, Mich., company restated its second-quarter earnings and said it would suspend its dividend payment to shareholders.

Battered by losses on its investments in Fannie Mae and Lehman Brothers, the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. is facing a capital shortage that could force it to reduce its role in providing a secondary market for farm mortgages.

FRANKENMUTH, Mich. – Frankenmuth CU said it has agreed to build two new branches in Meijer stores.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University FCU celebrated the completion of its new 140,000 square-foot home offices last week.

The officers and directors of Virginia Commerce Bancorp Inc. have infused the Arlington company with $25 million in fresh capital, the first step in a larger capital-raising plan that its chief executive said would help it "withstand current pressures from increased credit costs" and "provide an additional cushion for unforeseen market challenges."

Well before federal regulators shut down Washington Mutual Bank on Thursday, deposits began surging at the $1.4 billion-asset Oritani Financial Corp. in Washington Township, N.J.

As a part of a continuing effort to shed expenses and strengthen its capital position, Omni Financial Services Inc. in Atlanta is selling its four North Carolina branches to Capital Bank Corp. in Raleigh.

Peoples Financial Corp. in Biloxi, Miss., said it expects to take hits totaling $3 million in the third quarter to reflect the declining the value of its investment in Freddie Mac preferred stock and bigger losses in its portfolio of loans to home builders.

The cash-strapped Vineyard National Bancorp in Corona, Calif., is under orders to stop paying dividends to shareholders without approval from its regulator, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Trying to get a better handle on the quality of loans and investments that banks and thrifts hold, federal regulators have proposed major modifications in call reports that would require institutions to submit more detailed data on a range of items, including residential construction loans and structured investment products.

Like most banking companies, First Midwest Bancorp Inc. in Itasca, Ill., stopped doing business with check-cashing stores and other money-services firms a few years back because it feared running afoul of anti-money-laundering laws.

MIDWEST

Forced out as chairman Cape Fear Bank Corp. last month, Cameron Coburn has resigned as president and chief executive officer of the Wilmington, N.C., company.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. in Lockport, N.Y., is looking to raise $100 million through an offering of its common stock.

Count Gateway Financial Holdings Inc. as another casualty in the government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Bank of Granite Corp.'s streak of consecutive quarterly dividends has ended at 219.