Washington

Washington Federal Inc. in Seattle said Monday that it had completed its purchase of six Charter Bank branches and $254 million in deposits in New Mexico.

FJ Capital Management said Thursday that it had received a "significant investment" by Bridge Equities LLC.

Bryan McDonald will become president and chief executive of Whidbey Island Bank in Coupeville, Wash., on Jan. 1.

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. – 1st Security Bank of Washington, the ailing one-time credit union known until 2004 as Washington's CU, plans to raise up to $32 million in an initial public offering.

In a Q&A during a FIG Partners banking conference, Jack Wagner discussed growth opportunities. M&A will likely come from traditional deals rather than failed bank acquisitions. He is also keeping an eye on costs should the economy remain stalled.

Weighed down by problem loans, Anchor Bancorp in Lacey, Wash., reported a loss of $4.7 million in the quarter that ended June 30, more than quadrupling its loss from the same period a year earlier.

Banner gained $1.9 million from fair value adjustments on certain financial instruments, which played a key role in its quarterly profit of $224,000.

Improved asset quality, lower credit costs and gains on investment securities powered Washington Federal Inc. in Seattle to a $30.1 million profit in the quarter that ended June 30, an increase of 138% over the same period in 2010.

Richard M. Riccobono, the former chief executive at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle and one-time deputy director at the Office of Thrift Supervision, has landed a new job as the chief banking regulator in Washington State.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., has received regulatory approval to buy Cascade Financial Corp. in Everett, Wash.

A deal by Washington Federal — operating under an MOU with the OTS for nearly a year — to buy branches from Beal Financial may be its greatest stoke of confidence to date.

Boston Private Bank & Trust has sold one of its four Seattle-area branches to fast-growing Heritage Financial Corp.

Bank of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., has raised more than $25 million in fresh capital that it will use to fund its continued expansion in the city and surrounding suburbs.

Boston Private Bank & Trust has sold one of its four Seattle-area branches to fast-growing Heritage Financial Corp.

Having already raised $50 million in fresh capital this year, Seattle Bank announced this week that it has received another $12 million from investors that its chief executive officer said the once-ailing bank would use to accelerate its growth plan.

Washington Federal Inc. in Seattle is raising its profile in New Mexico with a deal to acquire six branches and $253 million of deposits from Charter Bank in Albuquerque.

Washington Federal Inc. in Seattle is raising its profile in New Mexico with a deal to acquire six branches and $253 million of deposits from Charter Bank in Albuquerque.

Columbia Banking System wants to make acquisitions. But there are few opportunities in its market, relegating the Tacoma, Wash., company to taking small, deliberate steps.

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions closed First Heritage Bank on Friday, and for a second straight week Columbia Banking System submitted a winning bid.

Investors have recapitalized several banks, most notably those in the western U.S., in recent months with the intention of salvaging their franchises and creating vehicles that can be used to buy other banks.