Baylake Corp. in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., has agreed to buy New Bancshares in Kewaunee, Wis.

Parkway Bancorp in Harwood Heights, Ill., has agreed to buy Park Bancorp in Chicago.

First Citizens BancShares in Raleigh, N.C., reported higher earnings on the backs of two acquisitions.

A community development venture in the District of Columbia supported by Citigroup, government officials and local financial institutions has partnered with loan marketplace Biz2Credit to facilitate loans to small businesses.

The company recently completed its purchase of Central Bancshares. Following a methodically spaced-out integration, management expects it will be in a special position to do more deals in the state because MidWestOne is publicly traded.

Elmira Savings Bank in New York has repurchased a warrant from the federal government that had been issued as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program during the financial crisis.

Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., has agreed to buy Bank of the Carolinas in Mocksville, N.C.

Four former officers of Wilmington Trust have been charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused the bankers of intentionally understating past-due loans in 2009 and 2010. Two of the bankers face criminal charges.

Bank of America, led by Brian Moynihan, at its annual meeting tried to look responsive to criticisms of its corporate governance, slow turnaround and other matters while announcing it would phase out lending to coal companies.

Western Union is in early-stage talks to acquire smaller rival MoneyGram, people with knowledge of the matter said, as both companies contend with stiff competition from upstart money-transfer companies.

Achieva Credit Union in Dunedin, Fla., has agreed to buy Calusa Bank in Punta Gorda, Fla.

Vincent Delie, CEO of F.N.B., discusses the costs of and difficulty in complying with size-related regulations, his outlook for acquisitions and the Baltimore market.

Earnings at HSBC's North American operation fell 12% in the first quarter. Details about the unit's future restructuring are due next month, but executives offered reassurances Tuesday that they don't plan to divest it.

Shares of HSBC Holdings Plc, Europe's largest bank, fell the most in two months in London trading after first-quarter revenue missed analysts' estimates and costs increased at a faster pace.

PNC outpaced all other banks and thrifts in net branch closures last quarter, according to data released by SNL Financial.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended May 2.

A chief financial officer's workday is booked solid dealing with regulatory issues, risk assessments and finding places to cut costs. If they could find an extra hour, bank CFOs say they would use that time to consider how to improve their banks' strategies, employees and communities.

If banking is under attack, then chief financial officers are the defenders of the realm. Equipped with the numbers, they are uniquely positioned to bring the credible answers their stakeholders seek and the changes their companies need.

Our new special reports and proprietary research profile the key executives flanking the CEOs at financial institutions and explore how their roles have evolved. First up: the chief financial officer.

In March, American Banker Research conducted an in-depth online survey of 52 bank chief financial officers from American Banker's readership as part of our inaugural C-Suite Series. The respondents were from banks with less than $10 billion in assets, with vast majority coming from banks with $100 million to $1 billion in assets. They were asked how they spend their time, where they would like to take their careers and how they are handling the unprecedented challenges of today's banking environment. Among the insights revealed from the survey: Basel III hasn't been a big deal for the top line — yet; few CFOs are focused on mergers and acquisitions; and many of them consider their roles strategic. Highlights from the research follow.