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BCB Bancorp Inc. in Bayonne, N.J., said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire Allegiance Community Bank in South Orange, N.J.

For thrifts that have long harbored ambitions of converting to commercial banks, an upcoming regulatory merger is forcing hard decisions.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y., has hired a former Wells Fargo & Co. executive to oversee its New England expansion.

First National Bankers Bankshares Inc. in Baton Rouge, La., said late Friday that it consolidated its four banks along the Gulf Coast.

MidSouth Bancorp Inc. in Lafayette, La., plans to enter the Dallas market after agreeing to buy five area branches from a bank being sold through bankruptcy court.

Colony Financial in Los Angeles plans to sell common stock in a public offering that could raise up to $284 million.

Old Line Bancshares in Bowie, Md., said Friday it has completed its acquisition of Maryland Bancorp in Lexington Park.

The board of Commonwealth Business Bank in Los Angeles said Friday it did not renew the employment contract of the bank's chief executive.

First Financial Holding has 90 days to provide the Fed with a written plan to improve oversight of risk management and anti-money-laundering compliance.

The Justice Department said Friday that it will not challenge Hancock Holding's deal to acquire Whitney Holding of New Orleans as long as the companies sell eight branches.

Lawmakers in state capitals across the country are increasingly intrigued by arguments for public banks. With the financial crisis fueling disdain for the banking industry in general, some view these banks as an appealing alternative to a system they consider to be broken. But Eric Hardmeyer, president and chief executive of the Bank of North Dakota, is not so sure.

The $7.4 billion-asset company said its board has also approved a plan to sell about $293 million in substandard and nonperforming loans and $142 million in foreclosed properties.

A seemingly solid lending relationship can get dangerously big. Chris Myers, president and chief executive of CVB Financial Corp., learned this lesson the hard way.

MoneyGram International said it has hired former DolEx Dollar Express Inc. head George Zelinski as its vice president for Central America, South America and the Caribbean regions.

Loomis Fargo & Co. announced plans to acquire the cash-handling business of Pendum LLC to add to its automated teller machine servicing operations.

Home Bancorp Inc. in Lafayette, La., has agreed to buy GS Financial Corp. of Matairie, La.

Park Sterling Corp. in Charlotte, N.C., said Thursday that it has agreed to buy Community Capital Corp. of Greenwood, S.C.

MB Acquisition Bancorp agreed to buy $20 million to $30 million of newly issued common stock to help the $201.2 million-asset bank meet the minimum capital ratio requirements in its regulatory orders.

The $4.5 billion-asset Chicago company said Tuesday that it raised $25 million in a private placement with investors such as Harrison Steans, a former chairman of LaSalle National Bank; Jennifer Steans, the chairman of USAmeribancorp Inc. in Largo, Fla.; and Bruce Taylor, chairman of Taylor Capital. Investors also included other members of the Steans family and Prairie Capital.

First Defiance Financial Corp. in Defiance, Ohio, has $19.6 million of fresh equity. The $2.04 billion-asset company said Tuesday that it sold 1.6 million shares, including 208,800 shares for over-allotments, at $13.25 a share.