Quaint Oak Bancorp Inc. of Southampton, Pa., said late Tuesday that it would ask the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for permission to repurchase up to 5% of its stock.

One reason some community banks shy away from using the Small Business Administration's loan programs is that it often takes months to collect on the government guarantee if a borrower defaults.

MIDWEST

TIB Financial Corp. of Naples, Fla., said Wednesday that its third-quarter earnings declined 71% from a year earlier, to $494,000, or 4 cents a share.

Provident Financial Holdings Inc. in Riverside, Calif., said Tuesday that its earnings in its first fiscal quarter, which ended Sept. 30, fell 86% from a year earlier, to $758,000, because of a slowdown in mortgage originations and weak demand for its mortgages in the secondary market.

A $31.2 million pretax gain from an insurance settlement cushioned Whitney Holding Corp.'s earnings against deteriorating credit quality in the third quarter and sent its profits up 39% from a year earlier, to $48.8 million.

Shares of PFF Bancorp Inc. plunged to a six-year low Tuesday on news that the Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., lost $7.5 million in its fiscal second quarter, which ended Sept. 30, as a result of continued deterioration in credit quality.

A small Canadian insurance brokerage is suing to force First Niagara Financial Group Inc. of Lockport, N.Y., to change its name.

Wintrust Financial Corp.'s shares plunged to a 52-week low Monday after the Lake Forest, Ill., company reported that its third-quarter earnings fell 33% from the year earlier, to $9.9 million. Earnings per share fell 29%, to 40 cents.

Often perceived as a bank for the wealthy, Wilmington Trust Corp. in Delaware has rolled out a loan product targeting the less well-heeled: a short-term loan that maxes out at $500.

Pinnacle Bancshares Inc. in Jasper, Ala., is planning to delist its shares from the American Stock Exchange to trim regulatory and compliance costs.

Irwin Financial Corp. of Columbus, Ind., warned Friday that it expects to report a third-quarter loss of $15 million to $20 million from its discontinued mortgage business.

Bridge Capital Holdings of San Jose reported a double-digit rise in third-quarter profits as a result of strong loan growth.

Harleysville Savings Financial Corp. in Pennsylvania said Friday that net income fell 10%, to $771,000, in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended Sept. 30. Earnings per share fell 9%, to 20 cents.

In taking $8.9 million of charges over the first two quarters of the year, Fulton Financial Corp. of Lancaster, Pa., had appeared to be moving past its nonprime mortgage troubles.

Heartland Financial USA Inc. of Dubuque, Iowa, which has bought or opened banks in seven states, is planning to enter Minnesota.

Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. once again warned Tennessee Commerce Bancorp Inc. in Franklin that its stock is in danger of being delisted because of possible violations of a rule prohibiting top executives from voting on their own pay raises.

PremierWest Bancorp in Medford, Ore., is expanding in the Sacramento area with a deal to buy the $380 million-asset Stockmans Financial Group in Elk Grove, Calif., for $91.1 million in cash and stock.

The past 10 years have seen an unprecedented wave of branching by financial institutions. With several thousand branches being opened each year at an average cost of more than $2 million, the industry is collectively wagering billions of dollars on the likelihood that consumers will continue to visit physical branches to fulfill their financial needs. But are the investments delivering the returns necessary to justify their capital investments?