Michigan

Mercantile Bank Corp. in Grand Rapids, Mich., announced several promotions that underscore a heightened focus on loan growth.

Banks are dumping their mortgage servicing rights because low rates and new rules make it hard to earn a profit. SunTrust, Flagstar and First South Bancorp in North Carolina are taking the opposite view.

Groups in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and elsewhere are stepping up efforts to create programs and conferences dedicated to younger bankers, including millennials.

Popular with employees: Level One hosts an annual bring-your-dog-to-work day.

New Bancorp in New Buffalo, Mich., has hired Shawna Zawada as controller and principal financial officer, days after Russell Dahl resigned as chief financial officer.

Some branch deals come with added value. A case in point is the $2 billion-asset Old Second Bancorp's agreement to buy a branch in Chicago from Talmer Bancorp in Troy, Mich. in a deal that includes deposits, assets and a vice chairman.

Deposit growth and loan sales gave Flagstar Bancorp's second-quarter profit a lift. The $13.7 billion-asset company said its net income in the three months rose 2.1% to $47 million, or 66 cents a share, compared with last year's second quarter.

Ally Financial in Detroit swung to a profit in the second quarter as a tax benefit outweighed the costs of insurance payouts on hailstorm-damaged vehicles.

Flagstar Bancorp in Troy, Mich., is paying $371 million to put behind it the vestiges of its dealings with the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Ally Financial has introduced its first credit card, as the online bank continues to add products to complement its staple car loans and online bank.

Mackinac Financial in Manistique, Mich., has promoted an executive from its bank to become its next chief financial officer.

Mackinac Financial in Manistique, Mich., has agreed to buy Niagara Bancorp. in Niagara, Wis.

Ally Financial reported strong loan and deposit growth in the first quarter, but a shift in the makeup of its automobile loan portfolio forced the Detroit company to nearly double its loan-loss provision from a year earlier.

For years, banks in the Midwest looked beyond the region to increase revenue and profit. Today, the area is starting to bounce back, allowing many of those banks to thrive by focusing on their core markets.

University Bancorp in Michigan says the main goal of its recent debt offering was to raise capital, but it also was designed to comply with Sharia and other religious standards that guard against usury.

Ally Financial has blasted a proxy advisory firm for its recommendation that shareholders vote against the re-election of four of the Detroit company's directors.

West Shore Bank Corp. in Ludington, Mich., has agreed to buy West Michigan Bank & Trust in Frankfort.

Huntington Bancshares has partnered with the owner of the NBA's Detroit Pistons to provide $25 million in financial support in Flint, Mich., in response to the city's drinking water crisis.

Troubled Clarkston Brandon Community CU, Clarkston, Mich., has been merged with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, East Lansing, Mich.

ChoiceOne Financial Services in Sparta, Mich., has given its president, Kelly Potes, the job of chief executive, too.