Mercantile Bankshares Corp. of Baltimore cleared the last of its hurdles to acquire James Monroe Bancorp Inc. of Arlington, Va.

Team Financial Inc. in Paola, Kan., has hired former Gold Banc Corp. chief financial officer Rick Tremblay as its chief accounting officer and intends to promote Mr. Tremblay to CFO by year's end.

Steven C. Preston was sworn in as the 22nd administrator of the Small Business Administration, taking the reins of an agency that drew sharp criticism for its sluggish response to last year's Gulf Coast hurricanes.

With an eye toward expanding in the Kansas City area, Equity Bancshares Inc. in Andover, Kan., has struck a deal to acquire a Missouri bank charter.

Baltimore-area banks ensnared in a check-kiting scheme allegedly orchestrated by a check casher are reevaluating their relationships with money-services businesses.

Shares of CCF Holding Co. in Jonesboro, Ga., soared Monday after it reported strong second-quarter earnings.

Whole Foods Market Inc., purveyor of organic foods and high-end meats, is entering a new line of business: agricultural lending.

Carrollton Bancorp in Baltimore said Friday that it will take a $1.2 million after-tax charge to its second-quarter earnings after falling victim to a check-kiting scheme.

WGNB Corp. in Carrollton, Ga., announced Friday that its second-quarter earnings jumped 20.9% from a year earlier, to just under $2 million.

Two midwestern banks received low Community Reinvestment Act ratings from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Liberty Savings Bank in Missouri said Friday that it has completed its secondary stock offering, paving the way for a "second-step" conversion from a mutual holding company structure to a 100% stock-owned company.

Patriot National Bank in Stamford, Conn., intends to use its pending purchase of a Manhattan branch as a base for expansion in New York State, said Charles F. Howell, its president and chief executive officer.

Sunshine State Credit Union in Tallahassee, Fla., will try a second time to convert to a mutual savings bank, officials said last week.

PremierWest Bancorp in Medford, Ore., said Thursday that it earned $3.8 million in the second quarter, up 17.5% from the year-earlier period. Diluted earnings per share rose 22%, to 22 cents.

Even in a market as fiercely competitive as Florida, Orion Bancorp Inc. stands out.

Woodforest National Bank in Texas will ride Wal-Mart's coattails into 70 Ohio stores beginning next month.

Officials at Centrue Financial Corp. and UnionBancorp Inc. offer a pretty simple explanation for merging the two Illinois companies: being able to operate more efficiently and having deeper pockets to expand.

MIDDLE ATLANTIC