The company that revolutionized stock conversions of mutual savings banks almost 20 years ago is abandoning the hybrid corporate structure it innovated - but the structure itself is not going anywhere, and neither is the controversy surrounding it.

Center Bancorp Inc. in Union, N.J., has denied an activist shareholder's request to join its board.

For 15 years, Epic Bancorp in San Rafael, Calif., has fared well serving tony Marin County north of San Francisco.

Sterling Bancorp in New York is shedding its consumer finance subsidiary so it can focus on business lines that make more money.

First Busey Corp. and Main Street Trust Inc. have been rivals for years, and their merger of equals would create a dominant banking company in the Champaign-Urbana, Ill., market.

For years Security State Bank in Pearsall, Tex., ranked among the most profitable small banks in the country by sticking to a simple strategy: investing deposits primarily in securities while keeping its overhead low.

MIDWEST

Capital Corp. of the West's shares fell sharply Wednesday, a day after the Merced, Calif., company issued a profit warning for the third quarter.

The federal government’s new fiscal year is less than two weeks away, but the Agriculture Department has not decided whether to raise fees on a loan guarantee program popular with farmers and ranchers — and their lenders.

With its deal for Summit Bank Corp. of Atlanta, San Francisco's UCBH Holdings Inc. would gain a foothold in two more cities with fast-growing Asian-American communities - and perhaps accelerate its expansion plans in China.

Flagstar Bancorp Inc. of Troy, Mich., said it plans to expand its commercial real estate lending operations to 16 new states in West, Midwest, and South.

Industry Bancshares in Industry, Tex., is buying Community Bancorp Inc. of Bellville for $33 million in cash and stock.

Oneida Financial Corp. of Oneida, N.Y., has agreed to acquire the $61 million-asset Vernon Bank Corp. of Vernon, N.Y., for about $11.4 million.

American Savings Bank in Honolulu has reached an out-of-court settlement with a 91-year-old customer who said she was swindled out of $900,000 by a former employee of the bank.

Sterling Financial Corp.'s first deal to buy a California community banking company is a big move south for the Spokane company as it seeks stronger growth than it has found in its home markets.

Atlantic Southern Financial Group Inc. in Macon, Ga., said it plans to acquire the $73 million-asset First Community Bank of Georgia in Roberta for $18.3 million in stock.

WASHINGTON - Florida lawmakers have introduced a number of federal bills aimed at addressing high insurance costs, but they acknowledge it may take another Katrina-like disaster to trigger a governmental solution.

A. William Schenck, who resigned last month as Pennsylvania's secretary of banking, is starting a Pittsburgh bank that will cater to midsize businesses, professionals, and high-net-worth individuals.

Dearborn Bancorp Inc. in Michigan announced plans to purchase the $248 million-asset Fidelity Financial Corp. of Michigan for $70 million.