Too many institutions focus on time-wasting tasks that divert their attention from how to stay relevant in a rapidly changing banking environment.

CVB Financial in Ontario, Calif., has agreed to sell a branch Sierra Bancorp in Porterville, Calif.

American International Group announced $3.6 billion in new costs to fill a reserve shortfall and said it will hold an initial public offering for its mortgage insurer and sell an adviser network as Chief Executive Peter Hancock seeks to boost returns and protect his job after criticism from activist investor Carl Icahn.

Chemical Financial in Midland, Mich., has agreed to buy Talmer Bancorp in Troy, Mich.

Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, has agreed to buy FirstMerit in Akron, Ohio.

The $13.8 billion-asset company said Monday after the market closed that it earned $21.2 million, down roughly 26% from a year earlier.

Enterprise Financial Services in Clayton, Mo., has acquired a $21 million loan portfolio as part of its formation of an aircraft financing unit.

Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank in Orleans, Mass., has agreed to buy a branch in Falmouth, Mass., from Mutual Bank.

Ag lenders enjoyed solid credit metrics and an increase in farms loans in 2015. Those results could come under pressure this year, requiring bankers to become more vigilant in talking to their agricultural clients.

Regulators and alarmists are targeting a key source of financing on which some of the best-known American companies rely.

United Community Financial in Youngstown, Ohio, has agreed to buy James & Sons Insurance.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., has agreed to buy Pensco Trust Co. in San Francisco from Pensco Services.

Farmers Capital Bank in Frankfort, Ky., plans to extinguish $15 million of subordinated debt. The $1.8 billion-asset company expects to record a $4.1 million pretax gain during the first quarter from the transaction.

It is too early in the Providence, R.I., bank's turnaround plan to buy another bank, CEO Bruce Van Saun says. Instead, he would rather invest in acquiring commercial, mortgage and other loan officers who can feed revenue while he tries to make the bank more efficient.

The ouster of Cardinal Bankshares' chief executive helped set into motion events that led to the Floyd, Va., company’s merger with another banking company.

Signature Bank in New York has filed a plan to sell about $299 million in common stock.

Associated Banc-Corp in Green Bay, Wis., reported fourth-quarter earnings of $42.8 million, a 12.2% drop from a year earlier as the company set aside a significantly higher amount of money to address potential problems in its energy portfolio.

Independent Bank Group in McKinney, Texas, has exited the Small Business Lending Fund program.

John Kanas, BankUnited's CEO, said the business never turned a profit, and there were no indications that it would. The company, meanwhile, remains committed to other residential lending operations while focusing on expanding its other businesses across Florida.

Progressives' push for a more drastic overhaul of the industry ignores post-crisis changes that have had an undeniably positive effect.