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.