The $7.9 billion-asset company said in a press release Wednesday that Michael Blodnick plans to retire next year.

Community banks, by and large, appear well-prepared for capital standards that Basel II will phase in beginning in January. Still, concerns remain on how the requirements will shape cost structures and consolidation at smaller institutions.

First Farmers Financial in Converse, Ind., has agreed to buy three community banks in Illinois.

Xenith Bankshares in Richmond, Va., has brought in nearly $18 million in funding through a private placement and a new loan.

Doral Financial in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has sold more loans in a move that will deplete capital but bolster the company's liquidity.

A former employee wants the company to look at a merger of equals or selling its wealth management operations to increase shareholder value. Management, meanwhile, wants to grow in a way that diversifies income and reduces risk.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has agreed to buy Mackinac Savings Bank in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Bob Beauprez, a former community banker and Republican congressman, is challenging incumbent John Hickenlooper in Colorado's gubernatorial race. A pro-Hickenlooper group has released ads attacking Beauprez's banking ties, including the sale of his bank to First Community Bank in Taos, N.M. That bank failed in 2011.

PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh has agreed to buy Solebury Capital Group.

EBay, the world's biggest online marketplace, said it would split off its payments arm PayPal, finally bowing to pressure from activist shareholder Carl Icahn after nine months.

The $3.2 billion-asset HomeStreet will pay $128 million in stock for the $870 million-asset Simplicity, the companies said in a press release Monday.

A new proposal from the Pentagon on high-cost lending would affect a wide swath of the consumer finance industry, including not only payday lenders but also banks and credit unions.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority isn't planning individual fines on foreign-exchange traders as the regulator nears settlements with the banks they work for, said two people with knowledge of the discussions.

Hudson City Bancorp in Paramus, N.J., has sold $112.1 million in delinquent, FHA-backed mortgages.

First Busey in Champaign, Ill., has agreed to buy Herget Financial in Pekin, Ill.

Putnam County Savings Bank in Brewster, N.Y., has agreed to buy CMS Bancorp in White Plains, N.Y.

The private equity firm of Texas billionaire Gerald J. Ford, is planning a tender offer for up to 65% of Mechanics Bank in Walnut Creek, Calif. If completed, the deal would be the first deployment of the $755 million that Ford's fund raised last year.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Home Loan banks of Seattle and Des Moines announced Thursday that their boards have unanimously approved a definitive agreement to merge.

First Citizens BancShares in Raleigh, N.C., will add three directors after it completes its acquisition of First Citizens Bancorp. in Columbia, S.C.

Citizens Financial Group, which held an initial public offering Wednesday, will hire 350 mortgage officers and soon announce a new treasury services head, the bank's chief executive told American Banker.