A Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst disputes the widely held view that a flat yield curve is a major driver of consolidation among small banks.

United Security Bancshares Inc. of Thomasville, Ala., said its fourth-quarter earnings fell 15% from a year earlier, to $3.1 million.

FNB Financial Services Corp. in Greensboro, N.C., reported a $5.6 million loss for the fourth quarter of last year, versus a $2 million profit for the same period of 2004.

Several Midwest banking companies that have posted lackluster earnings in recent quarters could get bought out this year, according to an analyst report.

Good trust officers are in demand but hard to find, according to a survey of community banking executives.

At first glance, Sterling Financial Corp.'s $65.3 million deal for a Seattle-area thrift would seem to run counter to the Spokane thrift company's strategy of transforming itself into more of a commercial bank.

Premier Financial Bancorp Inc. of Huntington, W.Va., said fourth-quarter net income jumped 175% from a year earlier, to $1.54 million, continuing a rebound from huge losses in 2002 and 2003 attributed to loan fraud.

FirstBank NW Corp. in Clarkston, Wash., said Friday that strong loan growth boosted earnings last quarter.

Federal Trust Corp. in Sanford, Fla., is firing back at investors it claims are pressuring it to sell.

The Bush administration wants the Department of Agriculture to follow the Small Business Administration's lead in funding its guaranteed loan programs.

First Financial Bancorp of Hamilton, Ohio, reported Friday that fourth-quarter earnings dropped 72% from a year earlier, to $2.8 million.

Somerset Hills Bancorp of Bernardsville, N.J., cleared up the confusion surrounding its fourth-quarter earnings Thursday by reporting a record profit of $1.05 million.

Kendal E. Carson has resigned as an executive vice president of United Bankshares Inc. of Charleston, W.Va., and the president of United Bank, its Virginia subsidiary, to join Cardinal Financial Corp. of McLean, Va.

The results Saehan Bancorp announced Jan. 30 were its best in years: record 2005 net income, a huge jump in assets, and return on equity well above the industry average.

MIDDLE ATLANTIC

Though Hudson City Bancorp Inc. certainly has the financial wherewithal to buy banks, its chief executive, Ronald E. Hermance, has regularly dismissed acquisition speculation by arguing that most buyers want stock, and stock deals would dilute the value of its shares.

An Indian tribe in northwestern Connecticut has taken initial steps to form a full-service bank on its reservation.

FirstMerit Corp. of Akron restated its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings Wednesday to reflect a $3.5 million addition to its loan-loss reserves.

A Richmond, Va., bank holding company that has yet to report a profit in its five-year history has been ordered to review its financial controls and corporate governance practices.

James J. Giancola has struck his first acquisition deal since taking over as the president and chief executive officer of Midwest Banc Holdings Inc. 17 months ago, and he said it would be a model for buyouts to come.