First Community Bancshares Inc. in Bluefield, Va., has a deal to buy Coddle Creek Financial Corp. in Mooresville, N.C., for $33.1 million.

CINCINNATI - With the bursting housing bubble and the IndyMac debacle as a backdrop, investing in branch expansion may appear to be a shaky proposition. But several analysts say those factors could actually open a window of opportunity for credit unions that can brave the temptation to “sit tight.”

NORTHFIELD, Ill. - The race to implement solutions that provide members the convenience of at-home banking may be a double-edged sword, as that same technology pushes members away from the branch and potential cross-selling opportunities.

ATLANTA - Credit unions seeking to increase branch traffic need to realize technology is not just changing the branch, but the type of traffic it is getting.

SAN DIEGO - It’s widely recognized more credit union facilities are striving to be “green.”

CINCINNATI - With location critical to the success of a new branch, more design/build firms are customizing geographic interface system (GIS) engines to identify ideal sites.

ATLANTA - Architectural and project management technology is changing the way new credit union facilities are being designed and built, and those changes could make significant contributions to the bottom line.

Examiners are expecting bankers to take new approaches to stress testing loans, especially commercial real estate ones, which could have a profound impact on loan-loss reserves.

If Guaranty Financial Group Inc. in Austin and Central Pacific Financial Corp. in Honolulu had made loans only in their home states, they might have reported solid profits for the second quarter.

As a start-up flush with capital, Allegiance Bank Texas in Houston has had little trouble attracting deposits of late.

Tennessee Commerce Bancorp Inc. in Franklin said Thursday that it has hired Frank Perez as its chief financial officer.

American Community Bancshares Inc. in Charlotte, N.C., has fired its chief credit officer.

With the mortgage and credit markets in shambles and banks reining in lending, any income is welcome income. So community bankers should take note that they’re trailing their bigger brethren when it comes to offering a product rich in fees that consumers increasingly desire in uncertain times: annuities.

Shares of BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc. fell sharply Wednesday after the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., company reported a larger-than-expected second-quarter loss and said it intends to raise $55 million in a rights offering.

Two former executives at Bank of Granite Corp. have agreed to pay $225,000 to settle claims that they made false statements to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and false entries in the Granite Falls, N.C., company's books in relation to loans made as far back as 1999.

Online-only savings accounts can be effective deposit-gathering vehicles for banks, but executives at Frost National Bank in San Antonio say they do not exactly create customer loyalty.

With bad loans to real estate developers piling up, Security Bank Corp. of Macon, Ga., reported a wider-than-expected loss for the second quarter.

SOUTHEAST

DURAND, Mich. – SageLink CU yesterday broke ground on a new headquarters that will resemble a railroad depot, in recognition of the city’s background as a railroad center.

Corus Bankshares Inc. in Chicago reported its first-ever quarterly loss as credit quality continued to weaken during the second quarter in its condominium development-heavy loan portfolio.