NEW ENGLAND

After referring customers in need of investment advice to a North Carolina bank for the past seven years, First Citizens Bancorp Inc. of Columbia, S.C., has launched a broker-dealer unit to bring that work in-house.

Less than a year after converting from a credit union to a mutual thrift, ViewPoint Financial Group in Plano, Tex., went public in October at $10 a share.

Greater Atlantic Financial Corp. of Reston, Va., has uncovered irregularities in its financial reporting and said that its earnings reports for fiscal 2004 and 2005 and the quarters that ended March 31, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2005, should no longer be relied upon.

Lafayette Federal Credit Union in Kensington, Md., has won membership approval to convert to a mutual thrift, but a vocal group of members who oppose the plan has refused to give up the fight.

Mid-Southern Mutual Holding Co. in Salem, Ind., has announced the resignation of Stephen H. Walls, its president and chief executive officer.

Sterling Financial Corp. in Lancaster, Pa., has quit three of its insurance businesses, and First Capital Inc. in Corydon, Ind., is selling its property and casualty business.

Casey Duffy, a 28-year-old war widow from Brick, N.J., is going to college so she can better provide for her 3-year-old son.

With the quarter and year drawing to a close, several small banking companies this week made sure to report on the effect of balance-sheet adjustments and of lower credit quality.

Coastal Community Investments Inc. in Panama City Beach, Fla., said it plans to buy the $84 million-asset Bayside Savings Bank in Port Saint Joe, Fla.

MIDDLE ATLANTIC

When it comes to state legislation, bankers often find themselves playing more defense than offense - and that pattern is expected to continue in the coming year.

The asset-size thresholds that determine an institution's Community Reinvestment Act obligations were adjusted for inflation Wednesday by the federal banking agencies.

Dozens of banks have opened in Texas in the last decade, but San Antonio is one market that has proved difficult to crack.

State Bancorp Inc. in Jericho, N.Y., said Friday it had raised $36 million in a private placement that will restore it to well-capitalized status.

Hancock Holding Co. in Gulfport, Miss., raised some eyebrows last week when it appointed two chief executive officers to replace its retiring CEO, but company officials insist the move merely embodies its team approach to managing.

Citizens and Northern Corp. in Wellsboro, Pa., has made a deal to buy another community bank with the Citizens moniker.

Community Banks Inc. in Harrisburg, Pa., and Rurban Financial Corp. in Defiance, Ohio, said Friday that they are cutting costs to help offset the adverse impact of the inverted yield curve.

Pocahontas Bancorp Inc. in Jonesboro, Ark., said it plans to restate certain line items in its 2004 and 2005 financial reports and that previous reports should not be relied upon.

Washington Banking Co. in Oak Harbor, Wash., is cutting its work force in an effort to improve performance.