North Dakota

Alerus Financial in Grand Forks, N.D., has agreed to buy Alliance Benefit Group North Central States, a retirement plan administrator in Minnesota.

The acquisition would be Alerus' first since it bought Private Bank Minnesota in Minneapolis in June 2014. The Beacon deal would boost Alerus' total assets in Minnesota to about $771 million.

Choice Financial Holdings in Fargo, N.D., has agreed to purchase Northland Financial in Steele, N.D.

WATFORD CITY, N.D. — Several years into the oil boom in Western North Dakota, two credit unions say that for all the growth they've seen, there's no escaping a very real people problem.

Meta Financial Group in Sioux Falls, N.D., expects to have a strong fiscal second quarter despite a small charge tied to brokered deposits.

The $1.1 billion-asset Starion did not disclose the terms of its deal for WPS Community, a federally chartered thrift with $98 million in assets.

Alerus Financial (ALRS) in Grand Forks, N.D., has acquired Private Bancorp. in Minneapolis for $15.9 million in cash and other considerations.

TS Banking Group in Treynor, Iowa, has agreed to buy Tioga Bank Holding Co. in Tioga, N.D.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is striking an optimistic tone for mortgage finance reform, saying she's hopeful that a Senate Banking Committee plan to overhaul the market could make it to the chamber floor for a vote this year.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated enforcement actions with Cornerstone Holding Co. in Fargo, N.D., and Commerce Bancshares in Catoosa, Okla.

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.

Managing the royalties of oil and gas landowners could generate big new fee opportunities for well-positioned banks.

BNCCorp (BNCC) in Bismarck, N.D., named Timothy Franz its permanent chief executive less than a month after he become interim CEO.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is keeping busy on her August recess, talking housing finance reform and meeting with community bankers in her home state of North Dakota.

BNCCorp in Bismarck, N.D., has appointed an interim leader after Gregory Cleveland, the $798 million-asset company's chief executive, died Tuesday after a sudden illness. He was 65.

A dispute in North Dakota over assessment fees for its state-owned bank could stymie efforts to open similar banks elsewhere.

BNCCorp (BNCC) has reversed a portion of the valuation allowance against its deferred-tax assets, which will result in an $8.8 million net benefit for the Bismarck, N.D., company.

State Bank & Trust in Fargo, N.D., is changing its name to avoid confusion with the dozens of banks in its markets that have similar names.

The Fed on Tuesday announced a written agreement with the Fargo, N.D. company. Cornerstone agreed to serve as a source of strength to its $265.4M subsidiary, which has been operating under a consent order with the FDIC since Aug. 23.

Midwest Corporate Federal Credit Union in Bismarck, N.D., has become the first corporate credit union to voluntarily liquidate in the face of daunting new capital and other regulatory requirements from the National Credit Union Administration.