Poage Bankshares (PBSK), in Ashland, Ky., has agreed to acquire its crosstown rival, Town Square Financial, for $14.7 million.

Bankers are devoting more attention than ever to regulatory compliance and cost-cutting, but they need to be careful not to let service suffer in the process, a panel of CEOs said Tuesday.

FirstMerit Corp. (FMER) in Akron, Ohio, earned $40.7 million in the third quarter, up 16% from the same period a year ago, due largely to its recent acquisition of Citizens Republic Bancorp in Flint, Mich.

Northrim BanCorp (NRIM) in Anchorage, Alaska, has agreed to buy Alaska Pacific Bancshares (AKPB) in Juneau.

Heritage Oaks Bancorp (HEOP) in Paso Robles, Calif., has agreed to buy Mission Community Bancorp (MISN) in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Pacific National Bank in Miami has found a buyer.

The National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys named a Philadelphia attorney as its 11th president.

Multiples are stronger in historical terms than many bankers assume, buyers' stock prices are going up and banks need to get to $25 billion of assets to thrive, says David Olson of River Branch Holdings.

F.N.B. Corp. (FNB) in Hermitage, Pa., beat earnings estimates on strong net interest income.

The New York firm has historically avoided investing in acquisition-minded banks, preferring low-key institutions with good leaders and plans for making solid loans.

First Horizon National (FHN) in Memphis swung to a big loss in the third quarter after reaching an agreement to repurchase soured loans from Fannie Mae, it announced Friday.

The holding companies of Park Cities Bank in Dallas, Tex., have filed for bankruptcy in order to facilitate the recapitalization and purchase of the bank by Park Cities Financial Group.

The Federal Reserve Board has taken action against the U.S. branch of Germany's Commerzbank for failing to comply with anti-money-laundering regulations.

First Niagara Financial (FNFG) in Buffalo, N.Y., surpassed Wall Street's expectations for the third quarter as loan growth compensated for sliding mortgage banking fees.

Capital One has hired Citigroup veteran George Revock to lead its alternative energy and project finance group.

Huntington Bancshares’s efforts are paying off. It finally reached a 2013 goal of achieving positive operating leverage by cutting jobs, closing branches and reducing marketing and legal expenses.

East West Bancorp (EWBC) in Pasadena, Calif., reported a small rise in quarterly profit because of loan growth.

JPMorgan Chase plans to disband a group tasked with suing consumers to collect delinquent debts, according to former employees and others who were told about the change. The move comes two years after the bank ceased filing collections suits amid scrutiny of the accuracy of its records and court filings.

M&T Bank (MTB) in Buffalo reported flat quarterly earnings that still meet Wall Street’s expectations.

TransUnion has offered $90 million in cash and $15 million in stock to buy bankrupt data firm TLO, a Boca Raton-based company.