Maryland

WASHINGTON — On the heaviest night of bank closures this year, regulators across four states shuttered a total of five institutions, bringing the year’s failure total to 22 and costing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. more than $270 million.

A surge in mortgage lending combined with improved asset quality and expense control led the embattled First Mariner Bancorp in Baltimore to its first profitable quarter in more than five years for the quarter that ended March 31.

Annapolis Bancorp (ANNB) has repaid half of the $8.2 million it owed the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

First Mariner Bancorp has warned investors that it is in danger of failing.

Continuing its expansion in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., Eagle Bancorp (EGBN) in Bethesda, Md., has opened a pair of residential loan offices in Maryland and Virginia.

Eagle Bancorp of Bethesda, Md., has opened its fourth office in northern Virginia and is planning to establish a fifth later this year.

First Mariner Bancorp Inc. in Baltimore said that its fourth-quarter loss narrowed slightly from a year earlier.

A Maryland bank is planning a $5 million initial public offering, while a Massachusetts mutual holding company is looking to take the second step in its conversion to become fully public.

The companies said in a press release Monday that "irreconcilable differences of opinion regarding a number of matters" had developed and, as such, the boards had decided to terminate their agreement.

BB&T Corp., the ninth-largest U.S. bank by deposits, may consider acquisitions in Maryland and Texas to reach at least a No. 5 market share in those states, chief executive officer Kelly King said.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. in Olney, Md., said Thursday that its net income rose almost 33% from a year earlier, to $11.3 million.

Eagle Bancorp Inc. in Bethesda, Md., has hired Virginia Navas Heine to oversee its commercial and industrial lending.

Members of Har-CO FCU voted to approve the conversion of the $200 million credit union to a mutual savings bank, the first credit union conversion in more than two years.

Contrary to many community banks, Eagle Bancorp of Bethesda, Md., has strong loan demand and lacks sufficient deposits to cover the loans. Eagle CEO Ron Paul and analysts cite the relative economic health of the Washington area for Eagle's growth, leading to a need for creative solutions.

First Mariner Bancorp in Baltimore said Thursday that it has reached an extended deadline for a proposed recapitalization by a New York fund.

BlueRidge Bank in Frederick, Md., is expanding its operations in the Baltimore metropolitan area by converting its year-old commercial loan office there into a full-service branch.

A small mutual thrift in Maryland has won approval from state and federal regulators to convert to a publicly traded company.

First Mariner Bancorp in Baltimore disclosed Friday that it has a hearing later this month that could have a key influence on its future.

The Federal Reserve this week took action against four banks, including three written agreements and the issuance of a prompt corrective order against Bank of the Eastern Shore.

Richard Lashley, an activist investor known for pressuring underperforming banks to find buyers, has won a seat on the board of BCSB Bancorp Inc. in Baltimore.