Financial Institutions in Warsaw, N.Y., has offered an olive branch to resolve a proxy battle with an activist investor.

Profits soared at Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., thanks primarily to its expanding loan portfolio.

The banking industry, in the face of prolonged challenges, is relying on professional help to improve in areas such as productivity, hiring and M&A. The hope is that being introspective now will limit the amount of costly mistakes in the future.

Citigroup is no longer buying loans off the Prosper Marketplace platform and repackaging them into securities, a person familiar with the matter said.

Midland States Bancorp in Effingham, Ill., is planning to raise $120 million through an initial public offering. The $company said in a regulatory filing Monday that it has applied to list shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

Deutsche Bank said it is freezing expansion plans at a North Carolina location in response to a state law that invalidates protections based on sexual orientation.

Citigroup is planning to cut staff in London as it seeks to trim costs to compensate for lower trading revenue, according to people familiar with the matter.

Green Dot has named three new directors, ignoring the slate of nominees recently proposed by activist investor Harvest Capital Strategies.

Commerce Union Bancshares in Brentwood, Tenn., plans to close mortgage offices in Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky and to transfer the employees to Bridgeview Bank Group in Bridgeview, Ill.

Louisiana Community Bancorp in Houma has agreed to buy Tri-Parish Bancshares in Eunice, La.

The custody bank's $485 million purchase of GE Asset Management is consistent with its plan to invest in higher-growth, higher-return business lines. But analysts say the deal won't move the needle enough to alleviate short-term pressure on top-line growth.

NBNK Investments, the investment company backed by U.S. billionaire Wilbur Ross and once led by former Lloyd's of London Chairman Peter Levene, will close after a six-year failure to acquire European banking assets.

Kearny Financial completed its IPO less than a year ago and already it has found itself in the crosshairs of Lawrence Seidman. The well-known activist is pushing for the resignation of several board members he says are overcompensated and is urging shareholders to vote against a proposal on director pay this fall.

Citizens National Bank in Henderson, Texas, has agreed to buy Kilgore National Bank in Kilgore, Texas.

Hampton Roads Bankshares in Virginia Beach juggled a search for a new chief executive while also arranging for its eventual merger with Xenith Bankshares in Richmond, Va.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

BofI Holding is looking to make more acquisitions and its leader says he doesn’t think accusations from a former employee are unlikely to hold up a deal, even though they’ve dragged down the stock price.

Fifth Third Bancorp has confirmed that it offered some of its employees buyouts to reduce costs.

Banc of California in Irvine has agreed to sell its wholly owned investment adviser subsidiary, The Palisades Group.

First Interstate BancSystem in Billings, Mont., announced its third deal in two years as it inched closer to $10 billion of assets.