After setting up shop in six new markets across the country last year, The Bankers Bank in Atlanta is readying itself for even more expansion.

WASHINGTON — The Office of Thrift Supervision and several trade groups are supporting a New Jersey thrift's attempt to sue a depositor to prevent him from seizing control of the institution and forcing it to go public.

First Midwest Bancorp Inc. of Itasca, Ill., said Thursday that John M. O'Meara, its chief executive officer, has been elected chairman as well. He succeeded his brother, Robert P. O'Meara, who is now the vice chairman.

Robert M. Pardes has resigned as the chief lending officer of OceanFirst Bank in Toms River, N.J., and the president of its troubled mortgage unit, Columbia Home Loans LLC of Valhalla, N.Y.

Harleysville National Corp. had gone three years without making an acquisition before striking what it described as the "perfect" deal Wednesday.

Attorneys for the Pennsylvania Banking Department and the state's Department of Banking told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that bankers ought to end their legal challenge to credit unions' tax exemption and pursue legislation instead.

WASHINGTON - An effort to grant automakers and other commercial firms a waiver from a ban on commercially owned industrial loan companies is facing increasing scrutiny.

PL Capital Group of Naperville, Ill., has voiced its opposition to proposed changes in the stock option plans of Lake Shore Bancorp Inc. of Dunkirk, N.Y.

MIDWEST

Berkshire Hills Bancorp in Pittsfield, Mass., moved closer Tuesday to its goal of becoming a regional banking company with a deal to enter Vermont.

Danversbank in Massachusetts caters to business owners, but many of those customers have personal accounts elsewhere, often at online banks that pay high rates on savings accounts.

Baylake Corp. of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., said Monday that it lost $2.3 million in the first quarter after it was forced to boost its loan-loss provision to nearly $6 million.

SAN FRANCISCO - Credit unions looking to cut costs and increase efficiencies at their branches may want to take a page from the credit union movement's overarching cooperative spirit and apply it to branch management.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - When it comes time to decide between building new or working with you have, return on investment (ROI) is a big part of the equation-but there are some hidden things that can factor into the equation as well.

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - As credit unions race to expand their branch networks, they need to beware of cannibalizing their existing branches and even undermining their own brand.

LAS VEGAS - There are indirect members and there are credit union branches, and often the twain never do meet.

MARIETTA, Ga. - Why is branching still king? Because not only are branches a primary way members measure convenience, but they should also be one of your best marketing tools.

With declining net interest margins, rising operating expenses and unprecedented merger and acquisition activity, credit unions face a challenging landscape to remain competitive.

PITTSBURGH - Credit unions talk about "marketing on a shoestring," but can branch expansion be done on a shoestring?

ST. LOUIS - The economy isn't the only thing that's cyclical: credit union branching should be, too.