BancorpSouth Inc. of Tupelo, Miss., is taking an inexpensive route into Florida.

AUSTIN — Libertad Bank’s business model, a hybrid of community bank and a check casher, was designed to cater to the growing Hispanic market in Texas.

WashingtonFirst Bank has a deal to buy a hometown competitor, First Liberty Bancorp.

International Bank of Commerce of Laredo, Tex., is planning major branch expansions in the Austin, Houston, and San Antonio areas.

BancTrust Financial Group Inc. in Mobile, Ala., has hired a team of five commercial lenders away from the $81 billion-asset Regions Financial Corp. of Birmingham.

Sun American Bancorp in Miami is buying the $120 million-asset Beach Bank in Miami Beach for $21 million in stock.

The Bank Holdings Inc. is buying a bank in its hometown of Reno to increase its deposit share there.

Love of the arts was not the only motive behind First National Bank of Arizona's first art show last week.

FirstMerit Corp. in Akron has named Paul G. Greig, a Charter One Financial Inc. and Bank One Corp. veteran, as its president and chief executive officer.

MIDDLE ATLANTIC

WASHINGTON - A provision in regulatory-relief legislation could hold directors responsible for bailing out troubled banks.

As part of its continued restructuring, First Financial Bancorp in Hamilton, Ohio, has struck deals to sell five of its branches in central Indiana and Michigan.

With its latest and biggest deal, First Community Bancorp in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., would fill a critical void in its southern California operations.

A week after reporting a first-quarter profit of $71,000, Bank Holdings in Reno said it lost $24,000 that quarter.

The Texas Bankers Association has a deal to absorb the small Texas Savings and Community Bankers Association, which represents thrifts.

As a Who's Who of Texas bankers walked by her booth last week at the Texas Bankers Association's annual conference in Grapevine, Leilani Lim explained why her new role as the financial education coordinator for the state Banking Department is a perfect fit.

President Bush's plan to raise fees on government-guaranteed farm loans has hit a roadblock in Congress.

Kentucky bankers are fuming over a new law that requires banks to help keep track of delinquent taxpayers, and banks there are suing to overturn it.