Hancock Holding Co. in Gulfport, Miss., said late Tuesday that its third-quarter profits fell about 51% from a year earlier, to $17.7 million, or 55 cents a share.

MIDWEST

Virginia Commerce Bancorp Inc. in Arlington said late Wednesday that its third-quarter earnings rose 12.2% from a year earlier, to $6.8 million, because of loan growth and improved credit quality.

Park National Corp.'s stock dove Tuesday, a day after the Newark, Ohio, company reported that its third-quarter earnings fell because of deteriorating credit quality.

When it comes to payment technology, community bankers' top priorities are cutting costs and creating efficiencies for themselves and their business clients, a survey found.

Suffolk Bancorp in Riverhead, N.Y., said Monday that it had earned $6 million in the third quarter, down 2% from the year earlier but that per-share earnings rose a penny, to $1.66.

Robert V. New Jr., the president and chief executive officer of Green Bank in Houston, has been named become president and chief executive officer of F.N.B. Corp. in Hermitage, Pa.

The $177 million-asset Beehive Credit Union in Salt Lake City has filed an application with the Office of Thrift Supervision to convert to a federal savings bank and change its name to Beehive Bank.

First Defiance Financial Corp. executives were skeptical when an investment bank approached the company about the possibility of acquiring Pavilion Bancorp Inc. in Adrian, Mich.

Tower Financial Corp. in Fort Wayne, Ind., has announced it will take a charge in the third quarter to cover several problem residential construction loans.

BCSB Bankcorp Inc. in Baltimore has announced the approval by its shareholders and depositors of its plan to convert to a fully public company.

Lakeland Financial Corp. in Warsaw, Ind., said Monday that third-quarter net income fell 6%, to $4.4 million, on deteriorating credit quality.

Beneficial Mutual Bancorp Inc. of Philadelphia said Friday that it has cut 40 jobs, or about 5% of its work force, to improve its profitability.

Another Midwestern banking company is targeting Phoenix to help fuel its growth and, like other recent arrivals in the area, intends to court the wealthy.

With its $105 million deal for Slade's Ferry Bancorp., Independent Bank Corp. in Rockland, Mass., said it is accelerating a plan to expand southeast into the state's fastest-growing region.

Pennsylvania Commerce Bancorp Inc. in Harrisburg on Friday said it had created the position of chief operating officer and named an executive from Sterling Financial Corp. to the role.

RONKONKOMA, N.Y. - People's Alliance Federal Credit Union is trying to make sure that anyone eligible for membership knows it.

FNB Corp.'s deal with Virginia Financial Group Inc. was billed as a merger of equals, but a dissident group says it is an outright sale that significantly shortchanges FNB's shareholders.

A major shareholder of TransCommunity Financial Corp. in Glen Allen, Va., has told the company's board of directors he intends to vote against its pending acquisition by Community Bankers Acquisition Corp. in Alexandria, Va., according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.