Ohio

Lending margins are once again contracting thanks to a confluence of factors, and bankers are doing everything from shifting cash into higher-risk securities to reconfiguring branches to pad profits.

TFS Financial in Cleveland posted a double-digit profit increase in the quarter that ended June 30 thanks to a combination of improved credit quality and lower expenses.

Regional banks need all the growth opportunities they can get, and Fifth Third says it has found one in catering to European businesses that need to expand in North America to escape domestic economic issues.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati on Thursday reported higher quarterly profit driven by an increase in construction loans.

Middlefield Banc Corp. in Ohio has agreed to buy Liberty Bank in Beachwood, Ohio.

First Commonwealth Financial in Indiana, Pa., has agreed to buy all 13 branches being divested by Huntington Bancshares as part of the approval to acquire FirstMerit.

Park National in Newark, Ohio, reporter lower quarterly profit that reflected declines in service charges and higher expenses.

KeyCorp in Cleveland posted lower quarterly profit as merger-related expenses cut into the bottom line.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati has fired its chief legal officer over what it describes as a conflict of interest.

Jack Kuntz, president and chief executive at American Savings Bank in Portsmouth, Ohio, recently put his personal cell phone number on a billboard off Interstate 71 in Cincinnati as part of an advertising campaign for his $260 million-asset institution.

The $25 billion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that BankUnited Small Business Finance is now making loans in Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin.

Most banks will be content to let the rate chasers walk if CD rates rise, but they'll still need to hike payouts if they hope to keep pace with the competitors. Question is, how far will they go to retain their best customers?

Civista Bancshares in Sandusky, Ohio, will record a gain of roughly $1.5 million in the second quarter after a nonperforming loan was fully repaid.

Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, is significantly raising the ante in philanthropic and community development investments connected to its planned acquisition of FirstMerit.

Shareholders at KeyCorp in Cleveland soundly rejected a proposal to separate the chairman and chief executive roles.

A former cybersecurity expert with the National Security Agency joined the board of directors at Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio.

Farmers National Banc in Canfield, Ohio, has agreed to buy Bowers Insurance Agency in Cortland, Ohio.

The Federal Reserve is giving the public more time to comment on Huntington Bancshares' agreement to buy FirstMerit in Akron, Ohio.

Higher compensation and credit costs drove down quarterly profits at Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati, offsetting revenue gains.

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.