Here's an unusual way to capture the attention of potential customers: Advertise without mentioning your bank's name.

First Mariner Bancorp in Baltimore took a chance on a business line that many other banking companies were exiting when it established its consumer finance unit, Finance Maryland, in 2002.

Gateway Financial Holdings Inc. in Elizabeth City, N.C., is counting on its new mortgage unit to boost its sluggish performance ratios.

People's Bank of Bridgeport, Conn., touched off a rally in its stock Friday by saying it will file for a federal thrift charter to position itself for growth outside its home state.

Marshall BankFirst Corp. of Minneapolis, which has built a business on making commercial real estate loans, now wants to diversify its portfolio by more than doubling its commercial and industrial loans over the next year.

When Eldon Arnold was first hired at Citizens Equity First Credit Union in 1965, there wasn't even a desk for him.

16 CUs Sign With Elan

Credit unions typically are known for lowering costs to their members, so why is one credit union trying to encourage its members to pay more than they have to? Because it's in their best interest, when it comes to making credit card payments.

The Credit Union Journal is announcing its Call for Entries for its Best Practices awards. The Journal published its inaugural Best Practices issue in November 2005 and featured nearly two-dozen peer-leading ideas as selected by the editors.

Sally McKnight, President of Houston Federal Credit Union, said she will retire in June, 2006 after 37 years in credit unions.

While credit card issuing has historically provided substantial revenues to financial services providers, recent changes in a variety of consumer behaviors-including a continued shift to debit cards and growing adoption of prepaid cards-are creating a more challenging revenue environment, according to research by TowerGroup.

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. - John M. Eggemeyer 3d, the chairman of First Community Bancorp here, is well known in banking circles for rolling up six southern California banks into Western Bancorp in the 1990s and then selling Western in 1999 for 4.4 times its book value.

The $6 billion-asset Alabama National BanCorp. in Birmingham has agreed to buy PB Financial Services Corp. of Duluth, Ga., for $130 million in stock.

Hurricane Rita spared it last year, but American Bank in Corpus Christi isn't taking chances.

SOUTHEAST Carolina National Corp. of Columbia, S.C., has hired Harry R. Brown as the chief financial officer of the company and its $165 million-asset Carolina National Bank and Trust Co.

Premier Commercial Bancorp in Anaheim, Calif., plans to open a second bank subsidiary, in Arizona.

ICB Financial in Ontario, Calif., has completed an acquisition and raised $15.5 million in a private placement.

First Republic Bank in San Francisco has plenty of borrowers and private banking clients in the fast-growing markets east of the city - but no branches to attract deposits.

First Bancshares Inc. in Hattiesburg, Miss., said Monday that it had agreed to buy the $51 million-asset First National Bank of Wiggins in Mississippi for $4.2 million in cash and stock.