New York

Fueled by balance sheet growth, Signature Bank’s fourth-quarter profits rose 32% from a year earlier, to $40 million.

Community Bank System Inc. in Syracuse, N.Y., is planning to raise $50 million in a stock sale primarily to fund its acquisition of 19 upstate New York branches from rival First Niagara Financial Group Inc.

Provident Bank president and chief executive Jack Kopnisky wasted no time in making good on his promise to hire bankers away from his competitors.

Consolidation in the market has prompted Bridge to seek capital fast to fight back, the CEO says.

State Bancorp Inc. in Jericho, N.Y., said Wednesday that it redeemed $36.8 million of preferred stock issued to the Treasury Department as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Shareholders for Herald National Bank of New York have until Dec. 21 to decide how they want to get paid in the proposed merger with BankUnited Inc. of Miami Lakes, Fla.

Citigroup Inc. told regulators that 413 employees may be dismissed in locations across New York City as the firm starts 4,500 reductions announced last week.

Bridge Bancorp Inc. in Bridgehampton, N.Y., said late Monday that it will raise up to $10 million by selling common stock.

Shares of Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc. have been removed from the Nasdaq exchange and are now trading over the counter.

NBT Bancorp Inc. in Norwich, N.Y., said late Wednesday that it will acquire Hampshire First Bank in Manchester, N.H.

NBT Bancorp Inc. in Norwich, N.Y., reported third-quarter net income of $15.2 million, up 4.4% from a year earlier, due largely to improved asset quality.

Deposit gains hurt third-quarter profits at big banks such as Wells Fargo & Co., but they led to record profits at Signature Bank in New York.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. on Thursday reported third-quarter earnings that were weighed down by more than $16 million in costs from closing former Harleysville National Corp. branches in Pennsylvania.

New York Community Bancorp Inc. in Westbury, N.Y., on Wednesday reported that third-quarter earnings were virtually flat from a quarter earlier, at $119.8 million.

State regulators closed three banks along the East Coast and one in Illinois on Friday night, bringing this year's failure tally to 80.

Fast-growing Signature Bank in New York announced Thursday that it has opened a new office in Manhattan and recruited a team of bankers from HSBC USA to join one of its private-client banking offices in Queens.

MidSouth Bancorp Inc. in Lafayette, La., has agreed to buy a branch in Tyler, Texas, from Beacon Federal Bancorp Inc.

Investors Bancorp doesn't plan to stop with its deal for Brooklyn Federal. The Short Hills, N.J., mutual thrift would like to do "one or two more" before converting to an all-stock company.

Madison National Bancorp Inc. in Melville, N.Y., is giving an investment group an additional six months to complete its planned acquisition, but the seller is building in insurance.

Community banks in New York City are building loan books by snagging small to midsize companies overlooked by big retail-focused rivals.