Republic Bancorp Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 15% from a year earlier, to $16.8 million.

The buzz in investment circles is that Fulton Financial Corp. of Lancaster, Pa., may soon receive a buyout offer that is too good to refuse.

From bake sales to multimillion-dollar contributions, banks of all sizes have been doing their part to provide aid to the tsunami-ravaged areas of southern Asia.

Lester Stroh, a founding director and former chairman of Vineyard National Bancorp in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., died Jan. 8 at age 87, the company said Wednesday.

Mercantile Bank Corp., of Wyoming, Mich., said it earned $4.5 million in the fourth quarter, 48.9% more than a year earlier.

PVF Capital Corp. of Solon, Ohio, said Wednesday that it earned $1.42 million in the October-December quarter, the second of its fiscal year, 5.2% more than a year earlier.

MIDWEST

Pressure on lending margins could dampen profits for two multifamily-loan specialists in the New York metropolitan area, according to Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc.

Branches used to be the key to banking. Bankers would brag, "If I open the door on 25 offices each morning and do nothing else, money is bound to flow in."

Fulton Financial Corp. of Lancaster, Pa., has announced plans to acquire SVB Financial Services Inc., of Somerville, N.J.

Though analysts may be more bullish on big-bank stocks in 2005, they also expect it to be a good year for community bank stocks.

WGNB Corp. of Carrollton, Ga., said it earned $1.7 million in the fourth quarter, 16% more than a year earlier,

CNB Holding Inc. of Norcross, Ga., has officially changed its name to First Capital Bancorp Inc. and said it plans to be listed on the Nasdaq exchange soon.

First Regional Bank of Century City, Calif., has grown fast in the past two years - more than tripling its assets, adding two branches to its previous six, and increasing its staff by more than 60%.

Lawrence W. DeShaw, the president of Chittenden Corp.'s flagship bank, said he will retire at the end of March.

First Banks Inc. of St. Louis said Monday that it has agreed to acquire FBA Bancorp Inc. of Chicago for about $10.5 million in cash.

The Klein family is finally putting its name on a group of Minnesota banks it began acquiring almost 100 years ago.

Community First Bank of Prineville, Ore., and its parent, Prineville Bancorp, have agreed to strengthen the subsidiary's board oversight and revise its loan review procedures.

State Financial Services Corp. of Milwaukee is buying 80% of m2 Lease Funds LLC of Madison, Wis.