Atlantic Capital Bancshares in Atlanta has formed a lending division to focus on the emerging film and entertainment industry in Georgia.

The industry's rapid change is shining a spotlight on middle and senior managers who inherit positions and often have to fix the messes — while maintaining the successes — of their predecessors.

A pair of former BBCN directors said they resigned due to issues with the company's corporate governance and the leadership of Chairman and CEO Kevin Kim. BBCN claims the directors, who voted against its planned acquisition of Wilshire Bancorp, resigned after they were informed of plans to remove them from the board.

Allegiance Bancshares in Houston has sold two branches to Incommons Bank in Mexia, Texas.

Horizon Bancorp in Michigan City, Ind., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund program.

CEO Jeffrey Brown spent much of the firm's quarterly earnings call Tuesday responding to the demands of shareholders who are unhappy with Ally's weak stock price.

The near future may find more banks ceasing to originate residential mortgages in an effort to stop the slide in stock prices.

The central bank should not delay putting in place a long-term plan that diminishes its outsized influence and allows the financial markets to work without interference.

Lawrence Seidman, an activist investor in New Jersey, wrote in a regulatory filing that he plans to withhold support for all three of Malvern Bancorp's directors who are up for reelection this year.

The marijuana industry is still hampered by its own banking crisis, but the rigidity of federal laws is not stopping all advances in financial services for the sector.

Activist investors are turning their sights back toward banks after going easier on them than on other industries in recent years. Look for the next bank M&A wave to be fueled by aggressive hedge funds as they push for board seats and ultimately sales of financial institutions.

PL Capital is raising money for a new fund that'll target banks with up to $75 billion of assets, after 20 years of sticking to just community banks with less than $3 billion of assets. In this Q&A, Richard Lashley explains why activist investors are eyeing bigger banks now and how banks can avoid his kind.

The hedge fund Bluestone Financial Partners has investments in a handful of banks that it views as takeout targets, but its founder, Ted Peters, says he would never agitate for a sale. Here's why he values the pacifist approach.

A rush of bank M&A is welcome news to activist investors, who typically make money when banks make improvements and sell to bigger institutions. Here is a look at six firms that have stood out in recent years for pressuring management teams and boards to enhance value for shareholders.

Activist investors thrive when the banking industry is in consolidation mode. Last year, overall M&A started to gain momentum, and several deals involved banks that had been pressured by large, vocal shareholders. The following is a list of deals where sellers had their hands forced by dissident investors.

United Guaranty's spinoff from American International Group will result in changes to its capital structure that could shake up the competitive landscape in the private mortgage insurance market.

It took several weeks, but deposit prices are inching up at a number of banks. Still, most increases will likely be minor until the Fed enacts more rate increases.

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., has agreed to buy Avenue Financial Holdings in Nashville.

Randolph Bancorp in Stoughton, Mass., plans to convert from a mutual thrift to a stock-owned bank. The $386 million-asset company will hold an initial public offering as part of its conversion, it said Tuesday.

The Oregon company is disinclined to pursue acquisitions or buy back stock anytime soon, though it still would consider opening offices in new markets if the numbers work out.