WASHOUGAL, Wash. - Officials of Columbia CU will join local dignitaries later this week to break ground on the area's first financial institution built to LEED "Green" standards. The facility, the first of three green branches planned by the $800-million credit union for 2008, will incorporate environmentally friendly aspects and be rated under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - CO-OP Shared Branching, a division of CO-OP Financial Services, reported it has developed "CO-OP Fast Branch," a self-service kiosk that supplies more services than a conventional ATM, including deposits by check (no envelopes, no deposit slips), withdrawals by check, loan payments and advances.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., has reported improved credit quality in the third quarter, along with increases in loans, deposits, and fee income, but its earnings still declined by 17%, to $36.5 million, from the year earlier.

Blaming economic conditions in the Great Lakes region, Capitol Bancorp Ltd. in Lansing, Mich., said Thursday that its third-quarter earnings fell 44% from the year earlier, to $6 million.

Corus Bancshares Inc. in Chicago said Thursday that third-quarter profit fell by 31%, to $35.5 million, from the year earlier as the condominium market cooled.

Provident Bankshares Corp. in Baltimore on Thursday attributed a 22% drop in its third-quarter net income, to $16 million, to an increase in its loan-loss provision and a reduction in total revenues.

Typically it is a tough sell to get prospective depositors who are not familiar with Central Bank of Kansas City to consider parking their money in the $140 million-asset Missouri community development financial institution — particularly those who would deposit more than $100,000.

Umpqua Holdings Corp. in Portland, Ore., announced Thursday that it had earned $13.2 million in the third quarter, down 42% from a year earlier.

Amcore Financial Inc. in Rockford, Ill., said Thursday that its third-quarter earnings fell 85% from the year earlier, to $1.9 million, due to problem loans and a pending loss on the sale of mortgage-backed bonds.

CheckSpring Bank, a New York start-up that plans to make check cashing a core service, said Wednesday that it is set to cut the ribbon on its flagship South Bronx branch Nov. 5.

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart said Wednesday that it expects to report a significant boost in its loan-loss reserves for the third quarter to account for a spike in nonperforming loans to residential real estate developers.

Some banking companies have chased growth in warmer states like Texas and Florida, but Arvest Bank of Fayetteville, Ark., is content to stay in markets where the competition is less fierce.

Shares of Dearborn Bancorp Inc. in Michigan fell to a 52-week low Wednesday after the $1 billion-asset company reported a third-quarter loss.

Hancock Holding Co. in Gulfport, Miss., said late Tuesday that its third-quarter profits fell about 51% from a year earlier, to $17.7 million, or 55 cents a share.

MIDWEST

Virginia Commerce Bancorp Inc. in Arlington said late Wednesday that its third-quarter earnings rose 12.2% from a year earlier, to $6.8 million, because of loan growth and improved credit quality.

Park National Corp.'s stock dove Tuesday, a day after the Newark, Ohio, company reported that its third-quarter earnings fell because of deteriorating credit quality.

When it comes to payment technology, community bankers' top priorities are cutting costs and creating efficiencies for themselves and their business clients, a survey found.

Suffolk Bancorp in Riverhead, N.Y., said Monday that it had earned $6 million in the third quarter, down 2% from the year earlier but that per-share earnings rose a penny, to $1.66.