California

Heritage Oaks in California ended talks with an unnamed institution when it couldn't get a response on a regulatory concern.

The acquisition is the first for Hope since a transformative merger last year.

The once high-flying company could also face higher legal costs tied to an SEC probe into recent disclosures.

The bank is among a handful of de novos to have its charter approved since 2009.

The company also admitted that certain details in an October press release were inaccurate.

The California bank, grappling with credit-quality issues, did not say when – or if – a successor will be named

First Internet Bancorp is the latest institution to enter the business or to significantly expand operations.

People's Utah Bancorp in American Fork has its next chief financial officer waiting in the wings a year in advance.

The state's highest court ruled that lenders affiliated with Native American tribes are not entitled to sovereign immunity and must comply with state interest rate caps. It marks the latest triumph for consumer groups and state governments that have sought to rein in high-cost consumer lenders.

The phony-accounts scandal at Wells Fargo illustrates how sales quotas can incent bad behavior. Is your bank effectively mitigating the risk of 'managing to metrics'? Or could it be in danger of becoming a 'cargo cult'?

The Treasury Department has significantly reduced its stake in Broadway Financial in Los Angeles.

Stephen Gordon has long been known as an entrepreneurial banker, which helped him expand his California bank aggressively over a five-year period. A spike in chargeoffs that led to a third-quarter loss spurred Gordon to beef up credit oversight. The question is whether that effort will stymie loan growth.

Castle Creek Capital has sold its entire stake in Heritage Commerce in San Jose, Calif.

CVB Financial in Ontario, Calif., and Valley Commerce Bancorp in Visalia, Calif., have amended the terms of their planned merger.

Banc of California in Irvine and PL Capital have reached an apparent truce, as the bank agreed to consider letting the activist investor group submit two nominees to next year's board election.

Pinnacle Bank in Gilroy, Calif., has appointed a new CEO and its current leaders will move into a newly created role.

Capital Business Credit, a New York-based business finance company, has been acquired by a San Francisco-based lender.

Bay Commercial Bank in Walnut Creek, Calif., has agreed to buy First ULB in Oakland, Calif.

Pacific Premier Bancorp in Irvine, Calif., has agreed to buy Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, Calif.

First Republic Bank in San Francisco has bought Gradifi, a two-year old firm that works with small and large companies to help their employees pay down student debt.