Kentucky

Farmers Capital Bank Corp. in Frankfort, Ky., has been released from an enforcement order under which it had been operating since 2009.

Poage Bankshares (PBSK) in Ashland, Ky., has completed an acquisition that incensed one of its biggest investors.

Third Federal Savings and Loan in Cleveland is planning to expand its residential lending into several additional states.

Stilwell Group is irate that Poage Bankshares has agreed to buy another Kentucky bank. The activist investor would prefer to see the company buy back stock and, eventually, find a buyer.

Farmers Capital Bank (FFKT) in Frankfort, Ky., is one step closer to being freed from a regulatory order.

Next year could be a make or break moment for John Taylor, who was hired as CEO of a Kentucky company with one of the largest remaining Tarp balances and massive credit issues.

Commonwealth Bancshares in Louisville, Ky., is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot and killed the son of a bank employee.

The Treasury Department plans to auction seven more lenders' Troubled Asset Relief Program shares, with a total face value of about $90 million.

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

Quarterly revenue rose at Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) in Pikeville, Ky., as its loans and fee income grew.

The Federal Reserve may be preparing to fine Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) in Pikeville, Ky., for deceptive overdraft practices.

Republic Bancorp's deal to buy the bank operations of H&R Block collapsed because of regulators' apparent concerns about the mixing of banking and tax-refund processing. The deal would have helped restore a business already bruised by conflicts with regulators.

Bank buyers should run potential deals by regulators early to avoid "landmines" and speed applications, officials from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency say. Proper due diligence, succession planning and risk management are among the things they look for.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took action against three banks in August and released one bank from a consent order.

S.Y. Bancorp in Louisville, Ky., plans to redeem $30 million of trust-preferred securities.

The American Bankers Association has formed a group to lobby on behalf of rural lenders.

First Financial Northwest in Washington ousted a longtime CEO, while HopFed Bancorp in Kentucky seated an outsider on its board and canceled an acquisition, under pressure from activist shareholders. More banks can expect similar fights.

Citizens Bank of Northern Kentucky has named Stephen Brunson its president and chief executive, replacing interim chief David Van Horn, who remains a director.

HopFed Bancorp (HFBC) in Hopkinsville, Ky., and Sumner Bank & Trust in Gallatin, Tenn., have terminated plans to merge.

Kentucky First Federal Bancorp (KFFB) in Hazard has received regulatory approval to pay a 10-cent dividend to its public shareholders.