Flush with capital and newly liberated from the Treasury's Tarp restrictions, Umpqua Holdings Corp. is embarking on a consolidation quest in the Pacific Northwest.

New Century Bank, Jay S. Sidhu's most recent endeavor, has increased its capital by 180% as it seeks to embark on a major growth spurt.

The Office of Thrift Supervision has issued a prompt corrective action against La Jolla Bank FSB of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., ordering the thrift to merge with another institution or sell off nearly all of its assets and liabilities to become at least "adequately capitalized."

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed lawsuits Thursday against six debt settlement companies, alleging they violated a state law passed last August that requires them to be licensed in Minnesota and cap the fees they can charge. The law generally caps the origination fee paid by the consumer at between $200 and $500. Monthly fees are capped at between $50 and $75.

A Georgia man believed responsible for a debt relief scheme that defrauded consumers out of more than $25 million was arrested yesterday by federal agents.

The Federal Reserve has ordered Marco Community Bank in Marco Island, Fla., to take steps to raise its capital levels.

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw's office announced today it has reached settlements with two collection agencies, Allied Interstate of Minneapolis and Jefferson Capital Systems of St. Cloud, Minn., and one debt buyer, Wilhelm, West, Kacey & Associates (WWKA), of Canton, Ga. - all of which were being investigated for wrongful collection practices. The companies agreed to pay restitution and cancel debts totaling $404,091 to 446 West Virginia residents.

First National Community Bancorp Inc. of Dunmore, Pa., reported a loss of $11.3 million for 2009, citing a more than tenfold increase in its provision for credit losses.

Cecilian Bank in Cecilia, Ky., has agreed to purchase two branches and a pool of commercial loans from the struggling Integra Bank of Evansville, Ind., the companies announced Wednesday.

Weeks after raising $303.6 million, Umpqua Holdings Corp. in Portland, Ore., announced late Wednesday that it had repurchased securities issued to the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

A thrift has found a resourceful way to raise some badly needed capital, one that institutions across the country could replicate: unwinding its employee stock ownership plan.

While many financial advisers continue to seek either the comforts of a megafirm or the independence of a registered investment advisory group, Adam Sherman, David Fleisher and their team have found a cozy home in the community banking channel.

COLONIE, N.Y. – Capital Communications FCU has purchased the site of a former auto dealership in Troy, N.Y., where it plans to build its 10th branch.

The Independent Community Bankers of America sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Wednesday asking that a broad pool of community banks be made eligible for a proposed $30 billion small-business lending program.

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Tamalpais Bancorp said late Tuesday that it was in a negative capital position, with a total risk-based capital ratio of minus-0.11% at Dec. 31.

Though other banks have worked out deals with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. that improved their capital positions through payments to take over a failed bank, few private deals have had such a dramatic effect on a company's capital as Everbank's purchase of Tygris, industry watchers said.

WASHINGTON — Joseph Smith, the North Carolina commissioner of banks, said federal regulators should ease restrictions on private-equity capital to help the recovery of community banks.

The average credit score for U.S. consumers dropped two points to 669 at the end of January from 671 at the start of the year, according to a report released today by Credit Karma Inc., a San Francisco-based company that tracks national credit scores. The average score is down eight points from just two months ago. Credit Karma pulled its new data from 100,500 users.

The portion of small businesses that told a trade group that their recent borrowing needs had not been satisfied increased 3 percentage points from the month prior, to 11% in January.