Simply put, experts respond, what goes down must come up. Florida was one of the first states to feel the pain of the crisis, and most analysts and private-equity groups see a bottoming out in the real estate and banking markets happening there before it occurs in similarly troubled states such as Arizona, California and Nevada, or in most of the other states in the Southeast.

An advertisement in the Washington newspaper Roll Call is attacking credit unions in a manner reminiscent of an ad run years ago by banks — but this time the bankers are on the same side.

The National Credit Union Administration approved a $1 billion charge Thursday to pay for the corporate credit union bailout. The corporate assessment comes after last year's charge of $1.1 billion, which included $337 million for the first year of the corporate bailout and the remainder to replenish reserves for the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Teachers FCU opened a new branch in Oakdale and celebrated with a patriotic theme that featured American flags and an opening rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance by a local veteran.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – City officials voted to expand the local enterprise zone to include a proposed headquarters for Scott CU, which would save the $600 million credit union as much as $800,000 in property taxes over 10 years.

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After taking a measured approach in repaying the Treasury Department earlier this year, Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc. is moving forward in earnest.

StellarOne Corp. of Charlottesville, Va., wants to raise up to $60 million in capital, mainly to improve its liquidity and capital, and to repurchase its Troubled Asset Relief Program investments.

Encore Bancshares Inc. of Houston has filed a shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise up to $75 million in capital.

A month after holders of trust-preferred securities scoffed at a heavily discounted exchange, Pacific Capital Bancorp in Santa Barbara, Calif., has agreed to raise its offer.

The $2.6 billion-asset Denver company said Tuesday that it had agreed to buy Legent Clearing LLC, an Omaha securities clearing firm, for $13 million in cash and $2.7 million in stock. The timing is noteworthy: United Western faces a June 30 deadline to raise capital at its thrift.

WASHINGTON — The House is expected to pass legislation today that would create a $30 billion fund for community banks to boost lending to small businesses, but the bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

BETHLATO, Ill. – Olin Community CU broke ground this week on a new 10,000-square-foot branch in the city of Wood River.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University FCU said it plans to spend about $3.5 million to renovate an old restaurant into a new branch.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – Founders of the newly chartered Inspire Community Development CU held a grand opening Monday to celebrate the state’s latest CDCU, Michigan’s first new credit union in 25 years.

HIGHLAND FALLS, N.Y. – Navy FCU will open a branch here June 28 near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the credit union’s 181st service facility.

NASB Financial Inc. in Grandview, Mo., reported earnings of $3.2 million for the quarter that ended March 31, down 32% from a year earlier. The $1.4 billion-asset company announced the earnings late Monday, saying its second-quarter results were driven by increased credit costs.

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.

MidFlorida Credit Union, one of the state's healthiest big credit unions, has agreed to acquire the troubled Bay Gulf Federal Credit Union in the latest in a series of large credit union mergers shaking up the market in the Sunshine State.

The $2.2 billion-asset company announced Tuesday that it has received $35 million of fresh capital through a private placement led by Aquiline Capital Partners LLC, a New York private-equity firm that includes former Wachovia Corp. Chief Executive Ken Thompson.