1. NewStar Financial Inc. in Boston is buying Tampa-based Southern Commerce Bank, which has $206 million in assets, for $19 million in cash. Southern Commerce has 11 branches.
2. New England Bancshares in Enfield, CT, is acquiring Cheshire-based Apple Valley Bank, which has $84.6 million in assets, for approximately $7.3 million in cash and stock.
3. Keystone State Savings Bank, which is located in Sharpsburg, PA, and has $25.6 million in assets, is being acquired by Northwest Bancorp in Warren, PA, for an undisclosed amount.
4. Billionaire Wilbur L. Ross reportedly paid $7.3 million for a controlling share in the $83 million-asset Florida community bank First Bank and Trust Company of Indiantown.
5. A consortium of investors is paying $5 million for Lowell Co-operative Bank in Massachusetts. The thrift is more than 120 years old and has approximately $90 million in assets.
