California

Bank employees in Los Angeles staged a protest Monday against low wages and what the group calls "improper working conditions."

Communities First Financial in Fresno, Calif., has a new chief executive.

BofI Holding in San Diego is poised to end a tumultuous week, after a lawsuit accusing it of lax controls sent investors scurrying.

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles reported a higher third-quarter profit, citing new lending and lower expenses.

NCAL Bancorp in Irvine, Calif., has agreed to buy Commercial Bank of California in Los Angeles.

Westamerica Bancorp. will close its branch in Upper Lake, Calif., after a failed effort to find another financial institution to take over the branch.

CVB Financial in Ontario, Calif., has agreed to buy County Commerce Bank in Oxnard, Calif.

Mechanics Bank in Walnut Creek, Calif., has named three senior financial executives, about five months after a Dallas investment group acquired a majority stake.

It started out as a chat over dinner and cocktails between a director of Trans Pacific National Bank and Dr. Robert Murray, a part-time physician for the San Francisco Giants.

Royal Bank of Canada has received approval from the Federal Reserve Board to buy City National in Los Angeles.