In making the case that its investment in branches, technology, and people is starting to pay off in improved profitability, Bancorp Rhode Island Inc. has again fended off a dissident shareholder's bid to win seats on its board.

As regulators grow increasingly concerned with the outlook for the commercial real estate market, a Denver software company is set to launch a product that would help community banks gauge the strength of commercial real estate loans in their portfolios.

Community Bankers Acquisition Corp. of Great Falls, Va., has finally won approval from its shareholders to acquire two small Virginia banking companies.

The start-up Capstone Bancshares Inc. in Tuscaloosa, Ala., said Friday that it has agreed to buy Security Federal Bancorp Inc., also in Tuscaloosa, for an undisclosed price.

For someone with very little banking experience, Tom Hassey sure is thinking big.

Central Valley Community Bancorp in Fresno, Calif., has announced that it has a deal to buy the $240 million-asset Service 1st Bancorp in Tracy, Calif., for $23.4 million in cash and stock.

MIDWEST

The financial services landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade, and understanding the changes is critical to building underbanked initiatives.

Five banking trade groups are supporting Spencer Savings Bank of Elmwood Park, N.J., in its battle against the well-known activist investor Lawrence B. Seidman.

Many banks are scaling back their Small Business Administration lending, but Temecula Valley Bank in California is not just ramping up — it is setting its sights on being one of the nation's top five SBA lenders within five years.

Shares of United Community Banks Inc. in Blairsville, Ga., fell for a second straight day after an analyst downgraded its stock and said it could face heavy construction and development loan losses.

ST Financial Group Inc. in Montgomery, Tex., announced a deal Wednesday to buy Snook Bancshares Inc. in Snook, Tex., for an undisclosed amount.

It is down to the wire for a special-purpose acquisition company to complete its deals for two small Virginia banking companies.

Guaranty Financial Group Inc. in Austin said Tuesday that it would sell what could amount to nearly 20% of the $16.4 billion-asset company to the billionaire Robert Rowling.

Emclaire Financial Corp. of Emlenton, Pa., said it has a deal to acquire Elk County Savings and Loan Association in Ridgway.

The Tampa institution formerly known as Bay Financial Savings Bank is undergoing an extreme makeover, changing everything from its name to its charter to the makeup of its balance sheet.

PVF Capital Corp. in Solon, Ohio, could be the target of a hostile takeover by a shareholder who for the past year has been urging it to diversify its loan portfolio and overhaul its management.

Summit Bank in Arkadelphia, Ark., is entering a new era.

Rurban Financial Corp. in Defiance, Ohio, has taken a big step toward its goal of having $1 billion of assets within two years with an agreement to buy NBM Bancorp Inc. in Montpelier, Ohio, for $25 million in cash.

To improve capital after a spike in troubled loans, WGNB Corp. in Carrollton, Ga., is cutting its dividend in half and introducing a dividend reinvestment plan.