In Brief: Earnings Up 22.5% at MetroCorp of Tex.

MetroCorp Bancshares Inc. of Houston said its second-quarter earnings rose 22.5% compared with the same period last year, to $3.4 million.

Diluted earnings per share increased 20.4%, to 46 cents, MetroCorp said last week. Interest income rose 59.5%, to $21.2 million, because of an increase in interest rates and a California acquisition in October.

MetroCorp, which focuses on the Asian and Hispanic markets, is the parent company of the $931 million-asset MetroBank, which serves Houston and Dallas, and the $212 million-asset Metro United Bank, which serves San Diego and Los Angeles.

Last week the company said it plans to open a Xiamen representative office in China next year.