California

At least three banking companies marked the end of the year by closing deals.

First California Financial Group Inc. in Westlake Village has agreed to buy an electronic banking solutions group from Palm Desert National Bank.

North Valley Bancorp in Redding, Calif., announced that it has completed a 1-for-5 reverse stock split.

Santa Lucia Bancorp in Atascadero, Calif., which is operating under a written agreement with the Federal Reserve, has brought back a former president and chief executive to help it work through credit problems.

Most billion-dollar community banks have skirted the surge of traditional mergers and acquisitions that has engulfed their smaller peers — until now.

California United Bank in Encino and California Oaks State Bank said their shareholders have approved the agreement in which California United would buy the Thousand Oaks bank.

Combined, Nara Bancorp Inc. and Center Financial Corp. in Los Angeles have 40 branches around the country and are larger in assets than the category’s current No. 1.

North Valley Bancorp in Redding, Calif., is planning a 1-for-5 reverse stock split to remain in compliance with Nasdaq listing policy.

The failures of banks in Southern California have left a fragmented market that is fertile ground for growth, says Gregory A. Mitchell, the president and CEO of First PacTrust.

Hanmi Financial Corp. in Los Angeles has amended an agreement with Woori Finance Holdings Co. Ltd. for the second time as the companies' capitalization plan continues to face regulatory delays.

Nasdaq is giving a number of struggling companies a little more breathing room, making it easier for stocks to stay on the exchange even after falling short of listing requirements.

Though some credit union CEOs continue to express dismay at NCUA in the wake of its announced plan to expand its budget — and many employees' pay — in 2011, others are saying pay increases are a needed investment to avoid having to pay higher costs down the road as a result of insufficiently trained and staffed examination teams.

As more community banks gravitate to a strategy of quickly purging bad loans, Saehan Bancorp in Los Angeles has something to show for holding out.

Bridge Capital Holdings in San Jose, Calif. said Friday that it would raise $30 million in capital through a private placement with a group of institutional investors.

Hanmi Financial Corp. is free to pursue other deals after amending an oft-delayed agreement with a patient investor.

North Valley Bancorp in Redding, Calif., posted a $7.6 million loss for the third quarter, compared with net income of $684,000 a year earlier.

First Northern Community Bancorp in Dixon, Calif., has promoted Jeremiah Z. Smith to take over as chief financial officer at the end of the year.

First Northern Community Bancorp in Dixon, Calif., said Owen Onsum will retire as president and chief executive at the end of the year.

A quest to tap local markets has inadvertently made Grandpoint Capital Inc. one of the more culturally diverse banking companies in the country.

Regulators failed four banks late Friday, pushing the total number of collapses this year to 143. Closures are now are at their highest point since the S&L crisis.