Pennsylvania

A federal judge last week sided with the competitor, Alliance Bancorp Inc. of Pennsylvania, and barred Sidhu's New Century Bank in Phoenixville from rebranding itself Customers 1st Bank. The judge said that name infringed on Alliance's trademark-protected Customer First products.

Two Middle Atlantic companies are seeking to bolster their common equity.

Profits grew faster than credit problems among the first batch of community banks to post second-quarter results — another tentative sign the sector is recovering.

After its long-running merger talks collapsed in March, Republic First Bancorp Inc. in Philadelphia today finds itself in a more fortunate position than many banks — it has a Plan B.

Fox Chase Bancorp Inc. is one step closer to completing its conversion from a mutual to a stock company. After the conversion is completed, which is expected on June 29, the banking subsidiary will have a new parent with 14.55 million shares of outstanding common stock.

WSFS Financial Corp. in Wilmington, Del., announced an agreement Thursday to acquire Christiana Bank & Trust Co. from National Penn Bancshares Inc. for $34.5 million.

CNB Financial Corp. in Clearfield, Pa., Tuesday announced the pricing of its $29.7 million common stock offering. The $1.2 billion-asset company said it will sell 2.9 million shares at $10.25 a share, a 10.6% discount to the company's closing stock price on June 8, the day before the capital-raising effort was announced.

CNB Financial Corp. in Clearfield, Pa., expects to raise $27 million through a common stock offering.

Lured by the chance to raise capital and worried about the future of the Office of Thrift Supervision, a wave of mutual holding companies have received approval to convert to full stock companies.

Bryn Mawr Bank Corp. in Pennsylvania has announced plans to raise about $25 million in capital as it considers acquisitions.

Continental Bank Holdings Inc. of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., announced Thursday that it has agreed to buy First Resource Bank of nearby Exton, Pa., for about $8 million.

Northwest Bancshares Inc. in Warren, Pa., has agreed to buy NexTier Inc. in Butler, Pa., for $20.3 million, the companies announced late Wednesday.

Six weeks after scrapping a long-delayed deal, Republic First Bancorp Inc. in Philadelphia is looking to raise more capital.

First Chester County Corp. of West Chester, Pa., said that a top executive resigned from the board of directors, and that the company failed to file its annual report, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Orrstown Financial Services Inc. in Shippensburg, Pa., announced that it had raised $40 million in a public offering. The $1.2 billion-asset company said Monday that it sold 1.48 million shares of common stock for $27 a share, a 24.3% discount to its closing price on March 15.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday issued enforcement actions against two bank holding companies.

Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania Inc. reported on Thursday a fourth-quarter loss of $10.1 million and that it is has entered into a written agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Gary L. Nalbandian, the Harrisburg, Pa., company's president and chief executive, said it will expand organically after its bid for Republic First Bancorp Inc. in Philadelphia collapsed.

Metro Bancorp in Harrisburg, Pa., has called off plans to buy Republic First Bancorp in Philadelphia.

Fox Chase Bancorp Inc. in Hatboro, Pa., has become the latest converted mutual to announce a second-step conversion.